· The actual locations of the monitoring sites are yet to be finalised

· The city at present has only three automatic monitoring sites

NEW DELHI: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is going to set up three new automatic air pollution monitoring systems covering areas in the Capital that have seen an upsurge in human and vehicular population recently.

Previously left "unchecked" by CPCB, the short-listed areas that would now come under surveillance include East Delhi, North Delhi and Dwarka. While the actual locations of the monitoring sites are yet to be finalised, the system is expected to be up and running within the next six months.

Bringing in air pollution data from areas that were left unchecked till now, the new system would enable monitoring of new "high population density" pockets in the city and access their influence on the pollution rate in the Capital. The city at present has only three automatic monitoring sites that provide information about the pollution levels and the Board maintains its status report with a network of manual monitoring sites across the city.

"Covering newly populated areas of the Capital, the new automatic machines would ensure that there is proper and continuous surveillance especially in areas that are seeing a heavy population growth. Though there are manual monitoring sites, the new sites would ensure that there is a steady flow of information through which we can monitor the impact of the new settlements in the Capital on the overall air quality. The automatic monitoring system is more accurate and will work towards ensuring that we keep a close watch on the pollution levels. Another advantage that we have with the system is that information can be accessed at any point of time,'' said CPCB Director (Laboratory) S. D. Makhijani.

When brought in, the latest facility will also allow the department to maintain records about the trends over a period of time. The proposed area that would come under surveillance has gone unchecked so far.

"We have short-listed places in Delhi and are working on the areas that would be best suited for the same. There is a need to add more locations to the existing strength and the expansion has been on the cards for some time now. It is essential that we initiate a programme to cover Delhi that is plagued by high density of human and vehicular population.'' said Dr. Makhijani.