New ambient air quality monitoring stations for city

New ambient air quality monitoring stations for city
Three new stations will be set up by the CPCB in Bangalore by the beginning of April to monitor air quality. Sai Prasanna reports


The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) plans to set up three continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations in the city. They will be located at Peenya Industrial Area, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board Office at Kadabeesanahalli, and Madivala Lake near BTM Layout. Sources at the CPCB said that the setting up of each station will cost Rs 80 lakhs. These will monitor pollutants like sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, suspended particulate matter, respirable suspended particulate matter, and ozone.
While the number of parameters for ambient air quality has been proposed to be increased to 15 from the current seven, all 15 won't be monitored at every station. This is because most of the additional parameters like hydrocarbons, benzene, toluene, and mercury are generated by automobiles and in industrial areas with petrochemical and gas industries, and therefore, don't have to be monitored in residential areas. Commissioning work for the containers and other equipment will begin in another 10-15 days and the stations should be completed by the end of March to mid-April. Data from these three stations will soon be made available on the CPCB website with updates on the air quality once every 15 minutes.
As of now, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) already has two continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations at Sanguruvanahalli and the Central Railway Station, and six manual stations at Graphite India on Whitefield Road (industrial area), Amco Batteries on Mysore Road (mixed urban area), Victoria Hospital (sensitive area), K H B Industrial Area at Yelahanka (industrial area), Yeshwanthapur Police Station (mixed urban area), Peenya Industrial Area (industrial area).
The Board recently released a report on the quantity of emissions, mainly greenhouse gases, released by the transport sector in Bangalore. Twelve percent of the total emissions come from this sector with 51,000 tons of carbon monoxide and 2,467 tons of particulate matter released annually. The primary concern was over the amount of carbon dioxide which is estimated to increase by 80 percent over the next few years.
Dr H C Sharathchandra, Chairman, KSPCB, recommended that people should be encouraged to use public transport so that the number of vehicles on the road is reduced. He also said that LPG and CNG could be used over petrol and diesel to reduce the particulate matter emitted.
The Chairman also said that the Board will be coming out with similar data for the power and the waste water sectors and in another 3-5 months, such data will be available for five more cities in Karnataka.
New continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations to monitor pollutants like sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, suspended particulate matter, respirable suspended particulate matter, and ozone.
They will be located at Peenya Industrial Area, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board Office at Kadabeesanahalli, and Madivala Lake near BTM Layout.
Station to be completed by mid-April