Monitoring of air pollution on-the-spot, which was started at 74 monitoring stations during the second phase of the odd-even scheme, will continue for another week. Sources said the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) will soon release its assessment of the impact of odd-even by comparing air quality before and after the scheme.
This year, the DPCC collected data using portable machines and a mobile air quality van at critical roads, residential areas and at seven borders of the capital.
Besides monitoring at border areas — including AnandVihar, Badarpur, and Gurgaon among others — portable machines collected air quality data 2 km outside the border limit, and 2 km away from the border in peripheral areas within the capital.
The van collected data from 15 spots along the Ring Road including AIIMS, R K Puram, ITO, Shalimar Bagh, Rajouri Garden, among others. “Monitoring was done at 74 spots for about 20 minutes at every location, at roughly the same time every day. This was done during the scheme. Now, we will continue the same for a week to assess the difference in air quality,” said a scientist.
Based on a daily analysis of the reports, sources said monitoring had shown that air quality had improved in areas in northeast Delhi, such as Gokulpuri and Bhajanpura, during the course of the scheme. However, it dipped on the last two days of the scheme. “Barring the last couple of days when meteorological factors such as low wind speeds seemed to be a strong factor, particulate matter levels came down during the second week of the scheme in these areas — which saw the highest levels in the city during the initial days of the scheme. Levels improved much more than during the first phase,” said a scientist. These areas, which are surrounded by industrial units in Ghaziabad and which are in the vicinity of the Ghazipur landfill, witness heavy traffic congestion. “A large number of two-wheelers are used here, and a lot of homes continue to cook on chulhas. These factors could be responsible for the heavy particulate load,” said the scientist. According to scientists, monitoring along the Ring Road, in the aftermath of the scheme in particular, will give an idea of roadside air quality. “This will give us an understanding of roadside exposure to air pollution, both during and after the scheme. Since the road is used by many commuters, it will give us a clear picture of the impact of the scheme,” said a scientist.
