Delhi “Real-time Source Apportionment Project”

December 24, 2022

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal reviewed the progress of the real-time source apportionment project.

What is Real-time Source Apportionment Project?

The real-time source apportionment project is being implemented by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee in collaboration with IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Delhi and TERI.
It is one of the actions listed under the Delhi Government’s winter action plan.
The Delhi government approved the project in October 2021 and launched it in November 2022.
Under this project, a supersite with cutting-edge air analysers and a mobile air quality monitoring system will be used to measure the concentration of various substances in the air above Delhi.
The project will identify various sources of PM2.5 on a real-time hourly basis and provide a 3-day hourly forecast of the total PM 2.5.
The data obtained from this project will help the Delhi government to accurately identify the sources of air pollution like vehicular exhaust, dust, biomass burning, and industrial emissions.
The supersite data will also be used to forecast air pollution levels on an hourly, daily and weekly bases. This will help the government take proactive measures to curb pollution and mobilize resources to ensure strict compliance with pollution control norms.
The findings will further be complemented by a mobile van that will capture air pollution readings and sources from different corners of Delhi.

What are the outcomes of the recent meeting?

During the recently held review meeting on the progress of the real-time source apportionment project, a team of scientists from IIT Kanpur informed that the secondary inorganic aerosols have traveled long distances to contribute to a large portion of the air pollution mix. Other major contributors of PM2.5 in the past one month are biomass burning (wood, stubble etc.), vehicular emissions and dust (road and construction).

The Delhi Chief Minister has directed IIT Kanpur team to provide more detailed information on the real-time sources like the type of vehicles causing the pollution at different times and specific areas where biomass, including garbage, is burnt to help the government to eliminate these sources.

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