Delhi approves real-time study of air pollution

The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Department of Environment's proposal for a real-time study of air pollution in the national capital.

The project, to be completed within a period of 18 months from the date of award of the study, has been granted to the Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, the University of Washington in the US on nomination basis.

The "Real-Time Source Apportionment study for Air Pollution in Delhi" will cost around Rs 1.2 crore and the payments will be done from the Air Ambience Fund maintained by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).

A cloud-based platform will be established for the study where the data can be shared and viewed by approved groups during the course of the project.

"There has been no scientific study on the pollution in Delhi. Delhi faces pollution throughout the year due to various reasons. So a round-the-year study was important.

"The study will focus on all the pollutants in the air. After the study, the government will have a data for all the different reasons of air pollution which will help in policy making," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told media here after the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The DPCC has been authorised to finalise detailed terms of reference for the study with mutual consultations with Washington University team, he said.

It will also finalise the payment conditions and required clearances if payments are to be made in foreign currency to Washington University.

A brief proposal was submitted by Pratim Biswas and Ramesh Raliya, Research Scientists at Washington University, on the behalf of the university.

--IANS

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