The Puducherry Pollution Control Committee (PPCC) will soon establish a publicly accessible Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station here.
The station, to be established with financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 1 crore from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), will have sophisticated equipment to detect the quantity of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and benzene present in the air.
According to a government source, the station would provide real time round-the-clock data about air quality. Apart from air quality monitoring, the station would measure meteorological parameters such as wind speed, temperature and relative humidity.
A team from CPCB would make a visit to select a suitable place to set up the station, the official said. The station would be able to provide representative value of air quality for a 20-km radius.
The data would be transmitted to the CPCB and PPCC for online upload. The data gathered from the station would help in policy making and better traffic management in the town, a senior official said.
There are around 350 such monitoring stations in the country. The CPCB collects data from the monitoring stations and publishes it every year.
According to PPCC, the air quality index here is considered “good” except during festival time, particularly during Deepavali.
A study conducted last year by PPCC after Deepavali found an increase in the level of ambient noise and higher concentration of particulate matter. The study revealed that noise level went up from 65.5 dB (A) to 74.5 db (A) on Deepavali day.
The ambient air quality monitoring revealed that average concentration of particulate matter was higher on the day of the festival when compared to any other day.
