What’s causing pollution in Delhi? IIT Kanpur’s study to find the reasons

A team of researchers from the Indian institute of Technology, Kanpur is spear-heading a source apportionment study on Delhi’s air pollution, approved by the Delhi cabinet. The memorandum of understanding was signed between IIT- Kanpur and Delhi government to conduct ‘real-time source apportionment and pollution forecasting’ last year.

The project will comprehensively analyse what is exactly causing air pollution in the national capital. The researchers during the course of the study will gauge contribution of different sources like vehicular emissions, stubble burning, biomass burning, dust and industrial emissions to air pollution in Delhi. Forecast of pollution will be provided with precision on hourly, daily and weekly basis.

Indian Institute of science education and Research (IISER) Mohali, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and IIT-Delhi is also a part of the study. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) is acting as the nodal agency.

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology had developed an emissions inventory for Delhi in 2018 for SAFAR air pollution system and TERI is preparing a new advanced emission inventory for listing by local sources of air pollutant emissions and amount of air pollutants released, this year.

Purchase of equipment for the study, like particulate matter, ion analysis systems and real-time ambient air analyzers is underway, IIT-Kanpur informed the Delhi government at the review meeting held on Tuesday.

With the availability of pollution forecasting data on an hourly basis for next seven days, the government will be able to make policy changes around construction site bans, school closure or vehicular restrictions, advisor to the Delhi Environment Minister Renna Gupta said.