NEW DELHI, March 21: The AAP government has decided to install air quality monitoring system across the national capital region, including Delhi, to monitor air pollution during the second phase of 15-day odd-even car rationing scheme starting from April 15.
Transport Minister Gopal Rai said that the environment department has been asked to prepare a detailed plan to identity locations for installing pollution monitoring devices during the scheme to be implemented from April 15 to 30.
The Arvind Kejriwal government had installed such devices at six locations of the capital from January 1 to 15 when the first phase of odd-even scheme was introduced aimed at reducing serious pollution level.
"Apart from installing air quality monitoring system in Delhi, we will establish these devices in NCR as well to check air pollution in the capital and bordering areas during second phase of odd-even scheme," Rai said here.
A senior official said that these devices will be installed in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat, Noida, Ghaziabad and other bordering areas for the assessment of air pollution.
He said that there will also be 20 mobile teams on different roads which will monitor air pollution on different roads across the capital, adding that sample taking will start from April 5, 10 days prior to launch of special drive.
During first phase of odd-even scheme, the volume of respirable pollutants in the city's air had reduced by 18 per cent during the odd-even scheme that regulated the plying of four-wheelers on Delhi roads for a fortnight, according to a study.
While absolute pollution levels increased across the NCR in January as compared to the previous month, the levels in Delhi had seen a "smaller increase" owing to the pilot license plate policy, the US-based study stated.
Jointly conducted by researchers at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) and Evidence for Policy Design group at Harvard University, the study had found "stark reductions" in pollutants around the noon hours from January 1 to 15.
-PTI
