IIT-Kanpur holds workshop on environmental pollution

The Times of India , Thursday, October 29, 2015
Correspondent : Aditya Dev
AGRA: Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur held a two-day workshop on 'Sources of Environmental Pollution in India: The influence of Municipal Solid Waste and Biomass Burning on Air Quality and the Microbiome of the Ganges" on October 25-26.

This workshop was part of a joint ongoing project under US NSF-PIRE (Partnership in Research and Education) program which concludes in December 2015.

Researchers from IIT-Kanpur and US universities — Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Wisconsin, which conducted a study on the effects of pollution on Taj Mahal last year, said they plan to continue their pollution-related studies on Taj Mahal in coming years.

Last year the institute in collaboration of two USA-based universities have found that black and brown carbons are responsible for the Taj's turning yellow. A focus on the varieties of pathogens harming the rivers Ganges and Yamuna was also led on.

SN Tripathi, professor with the Center for Environmental Science and Engineering, IIT Kanpur, said, "The Ganges is a key source of water throughout the Indo-Gangetic plain, and its quality is greatly influenced from a variety of human activities related to sanitation, and trash/refuse management that is also a key factor impacting air quality. It should also be pointed out that the synergy between poor air and water quality in the region may be having a dramatic impact on human health."

At this time there are still many unanswered questions related to the water quality of the Ganges including the abundance and types of pathogens present, the viability of pathogens and their interaction with bacteriophages, and the general microbiology and influencing factors along the span of the river. Future efforts estimating human health impacts in the region will no doubt have to combine effects of both air and water pollutants and with this in mind a portion of the workshop will focus on the water quality of the Ganges, he added.

Participants were scientists, engineers, NGOs, academicians and policy makers from IIT Roorkee, Georgia Institute of Technology, Indian Council of Medical Research and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute.

The workshop focused on developing a comprehensive understanding of urban biomass burning and which sources should be targeted to most effectively reduce the resulting air pollution, improve health and reduce climate impacts.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/IIT-Kanpur-holds-workshop-on-environmental-pollution/articleshow/49568249.cms
 


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