Ruling-AAP To Introduce Mechanism To Track Real-Time Causes Of Air Pollution In Delhi

As part of Delhi’s real-time source apportionment study, officials announced on Sunday that Delhi's chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, would be launching a super site and mobile (air quality management) van on Monday to assist in identifying and controlling sources of air pollution in the Capital.

Gopal Rai, the environment minister for Delhi, stated that the real-time source apportionment study would assist the government in identifying the factors contributing to the increase in air pollution at any location in the national capital.

The supersite is situated on Rouse Avenue in Delhi, inside the walls of Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya. The initiative was started by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) in conjunction with TERI, IIT Kanpur, and IIT Delhi.

Crucial Element Of Fighting Pollution

According to Kejriwal, the creation of this super site is one of the most crucial elements of Delhi's campaign to fight pollution. According to Rai, it is also one of the most important components of the Winter Action Plan. “Based on the data, this super site will also help forecast air pollution levels. The Delhi government could deploy resources and take proactive measures to control pollution because of these forecasts,” Rai said.

Delhi would be the first city to receive real-time data on the source segmentation of air pollution due to this project. It will also help with understanding the immediate consequences of various pollution sources, such as industrial emissions, biomass burning, stubble burning, and automobile emissions.

The administration says the action would be made to address the sources of pollution that are mainly responsible for Delhi's air quality. “The government will also benefit from these pollution forecasts while making policy decisions,” Rai said.

Reservations About The Project

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor, as per a report by Hindustan Times, said, “We trust organisations such as DPCC, IIT Kanpur, IIT and TERI to study pollution patterns for Delhi. At the same time, keeping in view the past failures (for example, smog towers and smog guns) of the Delhi government, one wonders how seriously the Kejriwal government will take this real-time source apportionment study.” He added that since Rouse Avenue, where the Sarvodaya School is located, has one of Delhi's lowest traffic densities, there won't be much pollution there either. “Regarding its utility in giving reliable information, we have certain reservations”, he stated.

Although the super site is in a minimal-density area, which is bound to report somewhat lower pollution levels, the Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) questioned the validity of the study.

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