Study to identify pollution hotspots

NEW DELHI: A three-month pilot study to identify real-time sources of pollution in Delhi-NCR will begin from Monday at 10-12 hotspots in the city. 

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) will carry out the study on ‘Ambient Air Source Apportionment in Delhi-NCR’ using equipment provided by Japanese instrumentation company HORIBA that can do real-time monitoring of PM 2.5 (particulate matter below 2.5 microns in size).

The objective is to identify the signature of various sources of pollution and carry out source specialisation at select hotspots in Delhi-NCR, CSE Deputy Director General Chandra Bhushan said. Mohan P George, head of DPCC’s air quality division, said there is a gap in understanding the sudden spike in pollution level and this study will help in improving “understanding of that” and to implement Graded Response Action Plan more effectively.

“Right now, we shut down everything when pollution reaches severe. Through this study, we hope to identify specific sources so that selective action can be taken up,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE. “This is an opportunity to move from static one-time source apportionment to dynamic source identification and real-time mitigation.”

The researchers will install a ‘Real Time PM and Elemental Analyzer PX-375’ at traffic signals, landfill sites, industrial areas and even residential areas to identify specific sources of pollution. The instrument for the study will be co-located with the DPCC’s continuous air pollution monitoring stations.