The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) plans to install 10 air quality monitoring systems and 20 automatic weather stations across Mumbai.
These stations will measure pollutants such as suspended particulate matter, ozone, oxides of nitrogen, benzene, mercury and black carbon. The IITM will also set up 15 LCD display boards at different points in the city which will update air pollution measurements by the hour.
“These hourly updates will be reader-friendly and will not only include air quality measurement for that specific hour but also for the next 72 hours,” Dr Gufran Beig, IITM scientist, and SAFAR project director.
The IITM had already installed the air quality monitoring and forecasting system called System of Air quality weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) in Delhi, in 2010, and in Pune, in 2012.
This year, the programme is dedicated for Mumbai. The IITM hopes to start operations by April 2014, with the support of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
“The project involves the installation of infrastructure and research. We will measure 10 types of pollutants that affect people’s health and will work towards reducing these concerns,” Beig said.
Mumbai has three monitoring stations at Worli, Bandra and Sion that update air quality levels through the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) website, but they are not detailed.
To hold the initial research that includes the number of cars driven in an area, the amount of fuel consumed, the amount of kerosene burned by families and other such aspects, school and college students will be enrolled in the programme.
Information will also be provided to citizens on a national toll free number (18001801717) that will be activated for Mumbai, once the system begins operating.
CLEARING THE AIR
The problem of air pollution has been worsening in populated cities as it was seen in Beijing last week, when the Particulate Matter (PM) level touched an average of 285 ug/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter of air).
Standard level of Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), according to the Pollution Control Board, is 100 ug/m3.
The highest level of SPM recorded in the month of October in Mumbai was 266 ug/m3 in Sion on the 25th.
