The Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology has enhanced the existing warning system for better air-quality management in the Delhi-NCR region. (File photo for representation) The Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has developed a new ‘Decision Support System’ (DSS) and enhanced the existing ‘Air Quality Early Warning System’ (AQEWS) for better air-quality management in the Delhi-NCR region.
A dedicated website has also been created to deliver quantitative information about the contribution of emissions from Delhi and surrounding districts to the air quality. The unique features include providing information on the contribution of biomass-burning activities in the neighbouring states to the degradation of air quality in Delhi, among others.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh had launched ‘Air Quality Early Warning System’ (AQEWS) on the occasion of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ week organised by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Dr Sachin Ghude, scientist and project lead at the IITM, told indianexpress.com that their research has made Indian agencies rank ahead of any other operational agencies across the globe that make air quality forecasts.
According to IITM scientist Dr Gaurav Govardhan, a similar system for Pune will be launched under a joint project with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. “We have used the emission inventory released in 2018 by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) for the Decision Support System,” he said.
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