Change in air quality prompts KSPCB to upgrade monitoring

Apart from monitoring the standard air pollutants in the atmosphere, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) will soon start monitoring more harmful chemicals.

KSPCB presently monitors sulphur dioxide, suspended particulate matter, repairable suspended particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide. But now, as per the recent announcement by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the KSPCB will measure more air pollutants such as Ozone and Benzene.

“There is a need to measure more pollutants because times have changed. What we measure now was relevant 10 years ago. Bangalore is now an IT City. This means that there are more number of people residing here, thus there are more number of vehicles on the roads. Therefore, more burnt and unburnt fuel is released.

...Fuel combustion and construction industries are a major worry for Bangaloreans. There is also more e-waste and garbage generated. Ten years ago, all this was not relevant and chimney pollution was considered as pollution. Now, things have changed. Following the CPCB directive, we will soon start monitoring more pollutants, which are posing health risks to people,” KSPCB chairman Vaman Acharya told Deccan Herald.

There is a need to procure advanced instruments and also change reading patterns of instruments in the existing 24 ambient air quality monitoring stations. Once this is done, measuring more values will be easier. This, Acharya said, will be done across all Indian cities.

Apart from this, one average value of City’s pollution will be released on the website called Air Quality Index. This is an aggregate of all pollutants, showing city’s pollution level, air quality description and impact on general health. This index figure will be released by all other pollution control boards across India for all cities, which will help people compare levels of each location and city.

Prof Govind Swamy Bala from Divecha Centre for Climate Change, IISc, said that air quality affects climate change. Black Carbon which is released from incomplete combustion of fuel is very dangerous. Similarly Ozone is a matter of grave concern as it not only affects upper air levels but also at ground level, like damaging crops. In addition to this there is soot, which is released from burning of leaves, commonly seen in Bangalore during winter.

All these pollutants should be monitored. Apart from this, unburnt coal and sulphur should be monitored. Sulphur, which is released from industries, can cause acid rain. Thus, monitoring more parameters will help improve Bangalore’s air quality.