Kejriwal holds review meet with IITs, TERI on pollution control

NEW DELHI: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Friday reviewed the progress of the ‘Real-time Source Apportionment Project’ which has been undertaken by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Kanpur (IIT-K), Indian Institute of Delhi (IIT-D) and TERI. The project aims at identifying the sources of Delhi’s pollution on a real time basis. The study consists of a supersite with state-of-the-art air analysers and a mobile air quality monitoring system, which will measure the level of various substances in the air above Delhi.

The CM stated, “Identification of sources of air pollution on a real time basis has now started in Delhi. Delhi Government & IIT Kanpur’s Real Time Source Apportionment Study is helping Delhi with pollution related data in a proactive manner. We have ordered officials to immediately take action to reduce pollution based on the study’s findings. Delhi government will place the analysis before CAQM so the Centre too can act upon the problem.”

The team from IIT Kanpur informed that the secondary inorganic aerosols, which travel long distance, contribute to a large proportion of the air pollution mix, and biomass burning (wood, stubble etc.), vehicular emissions and dust (road and construction). They are other major sources of PM2.5 in the last one month. The team also showed hourly data on the sources of pollution in recent days and the direction from which external pollution may have reached Delhi.

Kejriwal instructed the Environment Department and the DPCC to start taking actions to identify sources and locations of pollution, encouraged the DPCC and IIT Kanpur team to meet the Commission to share the findings.