Researchers from IITs and IISER publish framework for setting up regional air monitoring sites

Researchers from two Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and an Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) have released a framework for setting

Researchers from two Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and an Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) have released a framework for setting up air regional air monitoring sites that work simultaneously. The researchers have already set up 11 such sites across the country to simultaneously monitor particulate matter (PM) concentration in air.

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While PM concentration is measured in various parts of India, this is the first time a coordinated effort is being made to measure air quality at the same time. Researchers said data collected from the sites can help better understand air quality and the reasons behind the same.

The study by researchers from IIT-Bombay, Delhi and IISER-Bhopal is a part of the national multi-institute project — Carbonaceous Aerosol Emissions, Source Apportionment and Climate Impacts (COALESCE), which is funded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The study was published in the inter-disciplinary journal Atmospheric Environment in August.

Researchers have set up 11 ‘regionally representative monitoring sites’ or RRMS for accurate measurement of PM2.5 in these sites using satellite data. PM2.5 refers to miniscule particles with diameter less than 2.5 microns suspended in the air. Emitted by power plants and vehicles, PM2.5 is a significant contributor to air pollution across the country.

The 11 sites are Sangareddy Road in Hyderabad, Mahabaleshwar, Delhi Road in Rohtak, Sector 81 in Mohali, Jaisalmer Road in Bikaner, Shallabaug in Srinagar, Shyamnagar near Kolkata, Pulibor in Jorhat, Mesra, Bahuri near Bhopal, and Mysuru.

“Currently, PM2.5 measurements at the 11 regionally representative locations are underway and the data is being analysed. Filter-based PM2.5 samplers have already been deployed at these RRMS, and air sampling has started. The data received can be used to match with that of our field surveys to better understand the causes for pollution,” said Mani Bhushan, co-author of the study and a professor at the department of chemical engineering at IIT-Bombay.

“The framework that we propose for a coordinated measurement of air quality can be used further by other countries that may want to measure their air quality at different places,” he added.

Before zeroing in on a site to represent a region, researchers ensured that the results of the measurements were not affected by the peculiarities of the site itself. “Most of the sites are fairly distant from major sources of traffic and dusty unpaved roads as well as free of agricultural, industrial and domestic biomass burning. The sites also captured the seasonal variations in particulate matter due to westerlies carried from the Mediterranean Sea across the Arabian Peninsula, Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal,” read the study.

“At present there is no coordinated effort of simultaneously measuring air quality in different places. Data from a coordinated effort will help understand the correlation between pollution, weather and emissions. In the long run simulations can be made to predict the movement of particles in the air based on wind direction, for example,” said Arun Sharma, professor and director at University College of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi, who was not a part of the study.