Lok Sabha Question No. 1873 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-12
Subject: Management of Air Quality
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Subrata Pathak, Nayab Singh, (Dr.) Ram Shankar Katheria, Ravindra Kushawaha, Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Ravi Kishan Shukla

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO. 1873

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.02.2021

## Management of Air Quality

1873 SHRI SUBRAT PATHAK:

SHRI NAYAB SINGH:

DR. RAM SHANKAR KATHERIA:

SHRI RAVINDRA KUSHWAHA:

SHRI MANOJ TIWARI:

SHRI RAVI KISHAN

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has carried out any work regarding development of Decision Support System (DSS) framework for the management of air quality;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the technical institutes identified by the  Government  for  developing  the  said framework;
- (d) whether  any  technology  is  being  developed  to  maintain  air  quality  in  the  National Capital Region; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) & (b) The  Central  Government  launched  a  decision  support  system  (DSS)  viz. System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) on 17th February 2015,  which  provides  site  specific  information  on  air  quality  in  near  real  time  and  its forecast for the next 24 hours.

The  SAFAR  observational  network  of  Air  Quality  Monitoring  Stations (AQMS) and Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) established within city limits represents selected  microenvironments  of  the  city  including  industrial,  residential,  background/ cleaner,  urban  complex,  agricultural  zones  etc.  as  per  international  guidelines  which ensures the true representation of city environment. The data quality is controlled and the project  SAFAR  is  ISO  9001-2008  accredited  and  recognized  by  World  Meteorological Organisation  (GURME  Programme)  that  establishes  the  credibility  and  the  veracity  of data.

(c) The SAFAR system is developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, along with ESSO partner institutions namely India Meteorological Department (IMD) and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF). The implementation of SAFAR is made possible with an active collaboration with local municipal corporations and various local educational institutions and governmental agencies in that Metro city.

(d)  &  (e)  Following  pilot  projects  were  deployed  in  Delhi  for  evaluation  of  air  pollution mitigation technologies:

-  Ambient air purification  through  Wind  Augmentation  and  Purification  Units  (WAYUs) for pollution abatement at traffic intersections and Pariyayantra filtration units on 30 buses was  evaluated.  Though  minimal  improvement  in  ambient  air  quality  was  observed, however, WAYU may be explored for providing improved air quality at localised levels.
-  Application of dust suppressant -The effectiveness of the dust suppressant lasted up to 6 hours after which it had to be reapplied. About 30% reduction in dust concentrations was observed up to 6 hours. Advisory has been issued to State Boards to use dust suppressant.
-  Research projects are carried out by CPCB in collaboration with premier institutions like IIT, NEERI, etc. under Environment Protection Charge (EPC) funds.
-  Regular  engagements  with  technical  bodies  and  experts  have  been  undertaken  for knowledge sharing.

***