Delhi State, which has a population of approximately 19 million, has 14 continuous air monitors (CAMS) installed, whereas Tamil Nadu, with a population of 70 million, only has 3 CAMS, all of them in Chennai.
Drawing attention to the discrepancy between population, area, number of cities/towns and the distribution of air pollution monitoring systems, Ronak Sutaria, a Ph.D. candidate from IIT-Bombay and founder-CEO of Urban Sciences that manufactures ‘Atmos’ air quality monitoring devices, told The Hindu that citizen monitoring of air pollution could help fill the current information gap.
Across India, the Central Pollution Control Board has installed 74 CAMS but these are inadequate for monitoring pollution across the country, he said.
With around 20 million people reportedly affected by air pollution in India according to WHO reports, the issue poses a public health emergency that requires serious attention.
Atmos is a device that measures particulate matter (PM) levels in air — both PM 10 AND PM 2.5. —through the use of laser-optical sensors.
It produces real-time air quality data and is attached to a map-based dashboard where the information gets updated.
Scientifically validated
“The data produced by the device has been scientifically validated for precision at various research institutes, including IIT-Kanpur,” he said.
“When pollution data generated by the device was plotted on a graph against data generated by government pollution agencies, it turned out to be mostly consistent,” he added.
He suggested that residents could come together to fund such monitors in their apartment complexes. Hospitals and schools could install such devices to get real-time data on air pollution and decide when to step out based on when levels are low.
“In places like Gurugram, such measures have already been initiated. School timings were shifted from 7 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. because pollution levels were higher earlier in the morning.”
