In a big step towards tackling pollution, Mumbai is set to have an all-new tool to watch its air quality closely. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) has created a special website that will help keep an eye on how clean or polluted the air is. This website is called the Air Quality Early Warning System, or AQEWS for short. This system has already been put to work in Delhi and Pune, and now it’s Mumbai’s turn to benefit from it.
What’s AQEWS and Why Is It Important?
AQEWS is like a digital watchdog for air pollution. It collects, watches, and shares real-time information about how dirty the air is and even tells us how it might change in the near future. This is really helpful for the city’s leaders and groups that look after pollution. They can warn people if the air is going to be bad, especially for those who might get sick because of bad air, like old folks, kids, and those with breathing problems.
Learning About AQEWS at the India Clean Air Summit
At a special meeting called the India Clean Air Summit, which happened recently, the smart minds behind AQEWS gave a talk about how it works. The Center for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy organized this meeting. Mumbai’s residents will be able to check out all the air information on a website called Tropmet.
What Dr. Ghude Says About It
Dr. Sachin Ghude, a scientist from IITM, explained that getting data about tiny pollution particles, known as PM2. 5, is a big deal. It’s not easy to gather this data, especially in such a busy city. He said that AQEWS needs to be very accurate, starting with knowing exactly how the weather will be.
How AQEWS Collects Data
The clever minds at IITM use data from satellites to measure how much pollution is in the air. Think of this data like looking through a layer of dust to see how much light gets through. If there’s more dust, less light comes through. This helps them know how dirty the air is. They have put up 420 stations across India to gather this information.
In the bigger Mumbai region, there are 24 places where pollution is checked. Within the city of Mumbai, there are 20 spots where they keep an eye on the air. These spots include places like Navy Nagar, Malad West, Borivli East, and more.
How People Can Help
Dr. Pratima Singh, another smart person working on air quality, said that more places need sensors to watch the air. She thinks people living in neighborhoods can help too. If housing groups put up simple and affordable sensors, it will add even more data about the air. This way, everyone can work together to make the air cleaner and safer for everyone.
In total, this new system has connected 420 air quality checkers across the country. With AQEWS in action, Mumbai is on its way to breathing fresher and healthier air.