PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) with the help of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is developing an air pollution forecast model that will not only help understand the air pollution scenarios with various parameters but will also help understand the impact of mitigation plans being implemented to curb air pollution.
The air pollution in Pune city has been constantly on the higher side since the beginning of November. One-hundred-and-eighty (180) was the highest Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded on November 5 whereas for the rest of the days, an AQI of 125 to 145 was recorded in the city. While PM 2.5 is the biggest contributor, PM 10 and Nitrogen oxides are also responsible for the air pollution in Pune city. While the air quality usually worsens during November and December, it remains poor throughout the year in some pockets of the city. The air pollution forecast model is being prepared to assess the pollution scenarios, and is expected to be activated by next year. Earlier, a similar model was prepared for Delhi by C-DAC
Mangesh Dighe, environment officer of the PMC, said, “With the help of available data, the air pollution forecast model will be developed. It will help us understand the air pollution scenarios in particular situations or weather conditions. Accordingly, mitigation plans will be implemented. Similarly, it is necessary to understand the impact of mitigation plans on the air quality of the city, for example, what will be the impact of e-vehicles, rickshaws or the metro on the air quality of the city... This forecast model will help us carry out an impact assessment of the air pollution mitigation plans.”
{{/usCountry}}Mangesh Dighe, environment officer of the PMC, said, “With the help of available data, the air pollution forecast model will be developed. It will help us understand the air pollution scenarios in particular situations or weather conditions. Accordingly, mitigation plans will be implemented. Similarly, it is necessary to understand the impact of mitigation plans on the air quality of the city, for example, what will be the impact of e-vehicles, rickshaws or the metro on the air quality of the city... This forecast model will help us carry out an impact assessment of the air pollution mitigation plans.”
{{/usCountry}}Akshara Kaginalkar, senior director of C-DAC Pune and lead, urban integrated environment modelling and services project, said, “As part of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), this project is being developed jointly by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM); Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; and Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneshwar. While the IITM has developed the forecast model, the C-DAC has developed the decision support systems. Three aspects including meteorology, hydrology, and air quality are being covered under this project, and models are being developed for all three aspects.”
“These projects are being prepared for five cities including Pune. For Delhi, it is already in the active phase. For Pune, we have developed an early warning system, and it runs on a pilot basis. Accordingly, data is being generated for a one km area in every ward of Pune city and has been shared with the PMC for the last one month. We are expecting that the project will be completely active in the next three months,” Kaginalkar said.
Kaginalkar said that this will be a web and mobile-based system. Although it is very similar to SAFAR-IITM’s current website, the division’s supportive measure will be an add-on feature of this system. The data will be shared with PMC officials, city engineers, researchers, and health professionals, and some data will also be made available to common citizens, Kaginalkar said. Although the framework that is being prepared for the Pune district is the customised framework, other cities that have air pollution inventory can also use this model to tackle air pollution issues, Kaginalkar added.