Now, an early pollution warning system for Delhi

The Ministry of Earth Sciences has come up with an early warning system for air pollution in Delhi, which can be accessed by the public as well, a top official said on Wednesday.

Ministry of Earth Sciences secretary M Rajeevan said the early warning system is much advanced in giving the forecast on pollution than the existing ones. It can give three-day forecast about air pollution, he said.

The system is jointly developed by the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorological (IITM).

The models can also track stubble burning with the help of satellites and alert before it reaches the national capital.

These are based on the US and Finnish models, plus ground and satellite based observations.

"The Finnish model is being used in Finland, China while the US model is being used in its country. The system is now available for public which can access it on https://ews.tropmet.res.in/index.php," Rajeevan said.

The new early warning system also gives information about weather in Delhi.

"We had launched this system last year and it was used internally. This year, we have decided to open it for public," Rajeevan said.

Delhi witnesses high level of air pollution during winters. It spikes, especially in October due to stubble burning in neighbouring states.