New Delhi: Delhi, which has 60 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS), the highest in the country, is now installing 134 sensors to identify hyperlocal pollution sources in a 1km x 1km grid.
Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said 54 sensors have been installed and 80 more are planned for deployment. These sensors will monitor PM2.5, PM10, temperature, relative humidity, ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide. The environment department signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IIT Kanpur’s AIRAWAT Research Foundation in May for the development and deployment of an expanded integrated air quality monitoring network using low-cost sensors.
Many of the 134 sensors have been installed in Shahdara district where Anand Vihar is a key pollution hotspot. The aim is to cover a 2.5-square-kilometre grid in Shahdara district.”
Sirsa told TOI: “The CAAQMS gives AQI levels but is unable to identify the neighbouring stretch which caused a spike in pollution levels. The minister said one week of sensor data has been shared with Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and an SOP is being drafted. The intervention escalation matrix is being developed in consultation with stakeholders to enable timely and coordinated action on pollution hotspots,” Sirsa said. Professor Sachchida Nand Tripathi, project director of AIRAWAT Research Foundation and dean of the Kotak School of Sustainability at IIT Kanpur, said: “The sensors are being installed with a focus on Shahdara district, where Anand Vihar is located.
The sensors are being installed on govt buildings. Using the data collected from these, officials can get insights into pollution patterns, facilitate identification of localised emission sources, operationalise AI-enabled Decision Support Systems (DSS) and go for mitigation strategies. Installation of such sensors, which will cover a 1km x 1km grid, will help in understanding the hyperlocal sources of pollution. “Integration of sensor data into the intelligent decision support system (iDSS) is under way. Team members of the foundation at DPCC’s Integrated Control and Command Centre are brainstorming on the integration.