Delhi govt approves proposal to conduct round-the-year air quality study

The Delhi government today approved the Environment department's proposal to conduct a round-the-year air quality study to ascertain sources of pollution in the national capital.

Briefing about the Cabinet's decisions, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that the University of Washington will conduct the study.

Sisodia said that there are different reasons of pollution throughout the year and once the sources of pollution are known through the study, the Delhi government will take steps accordingly.

The project will be completed at a cost of about Rs 1.2 crore within a period of 18 months from the date of award of the study, he said.

"The Environment department has decided to grant consultancy job entitled 'Real Time Source Apportionment study for Air Pollution in Delhi' to Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, University of Washington in St. Louise, the US on nomination basis by invoking Rule 194, GFR 2017 for a total project cost of USD 175,000 (Rs 1.20 cr approx)," the government said in a statement.

The deputy chief minister said that a fresh, comprehensive and reliable study is required to enable the Delhi government to plan its actions and install real-time pollutant source identification model in the city.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has been authorised to finalise detailed terms of reference for the study with mutual consultations with the Washington University team.

In February this year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that the AAP government would conduct a round-the-year air quality study to ascertain sources of pollution in the city.

He had said the sources of pollution are different according to the area and time.

The AAP dispensation has a plan to procure machines which can detect sources of pollution at any given time and the government would act accordingly, Kejriwal had told a gathering on the third anniversary of the AAP government in Delhi.