PATNA: The Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) and the Indian Institute of Technology – Delhi (IIT-D), signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to set up a geographical information system (GIS)-based platform for air quality management in the state. A BSPCB release on Saturday, August 9, said that this agreement would help in identification of sources and transport of particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) at a very high resolution and help the board to identify efficient mitigation strategies. It added that in the non-attainment cities in Bihar namely Patna, Gaya and Muzaffarpur, this particular project will help to identify local hot spots of PM 2.5. Dr Sagnik Dey, Associate Professor, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT-D, will be leading the project with S N Jayaswal, Board Analyst, Bihar State Pollution Control Board, Patna.
The mapping will be carried out using satellite and ground-based measurement systems at a very high resolution. BSPCB said that these maps will help to formulate a plan to reduce exposure with the help of modelling and survey. In addition, the study will use satellite data to locate the districts and villages where burning in open is prevalent. Furthermore, a thorough analysis of the air mass trajectory will also be carried to determine the route of transport of air pollution to the non-attainment cities. A weekly spike in pollution can also be evaluated to assess critical pollution period, it said.