Believing that the current monitoring system does not capture air pollution data effectively, citizens of Whitefield have developed a “low-cost” real-time network of stations, called AirCare, to capture pollution levels within the area. Ten stations have been planned in the area, covering Doddanekundi, Thubarahalli, and Whitefield, of which seven are currently operational.
“This is a low-cost crowd-sourced way of monitoring air pollution levels. It is a citizen-designed network system where data collected from sensors are uploaded in the cloud to analyse high pollution, and other factors such as traffic or industry emissions,” said Shiv Shankar, founder of Mapshalli, who, along with class XII student Varun Ramakrishnan, developed the monitoring system.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) operates two air pollution monitoring stations in the area: Export Promotion Park and Kajisonnenahalli. The figures are given at a monthly or yearly average (in 2017–18, the average PM10 level is 103.9 for ITPL Whitefield Industrial Area).
Some findings
AirCare system offers data to citizens every five minutes, with the hope that citizens can better plan their trips. The system was launched in March, and preliminary results throw up some interesting facts: air quality is worst between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. when peak-hour traffic picks up; air quality is worse during summers months, between March and April; and Saturday has the worst air quality, while Monday has the best.
While the State government’s monitoring system cost ₹1 crore, AirCare costs just ₹6,000. That said, it measures only particulate matter (PM) 2.5 which mostly affects people. “The accuracy is maintained, and we’ve reduced costs by making it open source. We want more private individuals and organisations to set up their own monitoring system,” Mr. Shankar added.
Their results have shown that the maximum particulate matter pollution touched 255 micrograms per cubic meter at a private hospital near Graphite India. “This is alarming, and it needs to be resolved. We only demand the BBMP and the BMRCL to clean the roads regularly. In compliance with the KSPCB, we want Graphite India to filter their emissions,” said Zibi Jamal of Whitefield Rising, a citizen’s group which is coordinating with the project.
