Kailash Gahlot requested access to data on sources of pollution in Delhi for each day of the past week and for the coming days. (File)In a letter to Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Delhi Environment Minister Kailash Gahlot Tuesday sought access to data on pollution sources in the national capital collected by the Ministry of Earth Science’s air quality monitoring system. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) has been tracking the share of external biomass in Delhi’s air in the form of particulate matter 2.5.
Gahlot sought the information after SAFAR showed that concentration of PM 2.5 emitted from farm fires was just 2% in Delhi Saturday and increased to 9% Sunday. On Tuesday, it was 5% as of 8 pm and would increase to 6% Wednesday.
“As per media reports, SAFAR has the technology to indicate contribution in terms of percentage of crop stubble burning towards PM 2.5 levels in Delhi on a particular day. This also means SAFAR has the technology and equipment to do some allocation of pollution on a real-time basis,” he said.
The minister requested access to data on sources of pollution in Delhi for each day of the past week and for the coming days. “This will help us take correct decisions immediately,” he said.
Gahlot added that crop burning in neighbouring states during November has always contributed significantly to higher levels of PM 2.5 in the national capital.
An official from SAFAR said they use data on farm fires captured by three satellites over Punjab and Haryana, in addition to ground data on “actual fire counts” collected by their team in the two states.
“We then develop an emission inventory and put it in a forecasting model. One calculation is made with this emission inventory and one without it. Their difference is the contribution to Delhi’s air,” the official said.