The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) is set to partner with Premier Technical Institutions of the Country to establish a Decision Support System (DSS) for improving the Air Quality in Delhi and the adjoining National Capital Region (NCR). The institutions are
- India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi
- Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune
- The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
- IIT Delhi
- National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI)
- Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune.
i.DSS will utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) for simulation of scenarios, based on which steps will be taken to improve air quality.
- The system will have features like web, Geographic Information System (GIS) & Decision Support Tool (DST) for operation & planning purposes.
Various Organizations and their role are
| Organization | Field | Role |
|---|---|---|
| IMD, Delhi & IITM Pune | Chemical Components | Forecasting Air Quality in Delhi NCR using WRF-Chem & SILAM Weather Models |
| TERI | Physical Components – Emission Inventory & Observations | To Develop a fine Resolution Emission Inventory in Delhi NCR |
| IIT Delhi & NEERI | Engineering Component |
|
| C-DAC Pune | Interactive User Component Interface & Dissemination Component |
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ii.DST will capture the static & dynamic features of emission from sources like industries, power plants, transport, residential, road dust, agriculture burning, construction dust, landfills, volatile organic compounds and others.
- DST will undertake source specific interventions (steps), estimate the benefits of interventions & present the outputs in simple, user friendly format.
- Municipalities, Industrial associations, Industrial development authorities will identify suitable interventions to control waste burning, industrial source pollution and others.
- Using AI, the suitable interventions will be simulated, after which they will be implemented by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) & State PCBs.
- The Air Quality data from the area where intervention is implemented will be collected and analyzed to understand the real-world benefits of implementation.
About the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM):
CAQM was constituted in October 2020 through an Ordinance ‘Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020’ for Air Quality Management in Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas.
- Commission will be headed by a full-time chairperson who has been a Secretary to the Government of India, or a Chief Secretary to a State government.
- The commission is headquartered at Delhi.
- It issues directions to control air pollution and will take cognizance of complaints.
- The commission will supersede all other bodies and authorities on the aspect of air quality management and will have “exclusive jurisdiction” in the domain of air quality.
- It functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Recent Related News:
i.On October 29, 2020, President Ram Nath Kovind promulgated an ordinance to set up a permanent commission which will work for better air quality index in Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas.
ii.October 20, 2020, The 3rd SOGA 2020 report stated that India Recorded the Highest Air Pollution Exposure Globally in 2019.
About Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC):
Union Minister – Prakash Javadekar(Constituency- Maharashtra-Rajya Sabha Member)
Minister of State – Babul Supriyo (Constituency- Asansol, West Bengal)
