DPCC to revive study on source of pollution in Delhi

To be sure, IITM is already a key player in Delhi’s pollution forecasting ecosystem. It operates the DSS — which estimates the sources of pollution in NCR on a near-real-time basis

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has decided to revive its “super-site” for real-time source apportionment studies in the Capital — this time in partnership with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune — nearly nine months after it ended the collaboration with IIT-Kanpur.

Officials said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which was approached for guidance, has submitted a pilot study on the tower to the Supreme Court and is awaiting further directions (HT Archive)

The decision was taken in DPCC’s latest board meeting July 18, which also discussed conducting detailed audits of five-star hotels in the city to assess their groundwater consumption and reuse of treated water.

Set up near Rouse Avenue in 2021, the super-site had been managed by IIT-Kanpur under a Delhi government MoU until November 2023. After the collaboration ended, officials said the government chose not to renew the partnership, citing dissatisfaction with the institute’s “methodology”.

Since then, the infrastructure — including high-end equipment such as state-of-the-art air analysers, forecasting models and data dashboard and even a mobile van — has remained idle while DPCC searched for a new institutional partner.

Delhi has long struggled to accurately pinpoint what is polluting its air and where it’s coming from. Source-apportionment studies by IIT Kanpur in 2016 and by the The Energy and Resources Institute in 2018 are outdated, while the Decision Support System (DSS) -- which gives estimated contribution, too relies on an outdated emissions inventory.

Despite multiple efforts by different agencies, including a city-specific source apportionment model by IIT-Kanpur and a broader Decision Support System (DSS) by IITM and the Centre’s ministry of earth sciences, pollution control measures continue to rely on reactive strategies instead of real-time, localised data.

“The board had earlier directed that CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management) be pursued to develop a well-validated methodology through national-level experts. The board desired that the environment department be kept informed about the progress. It was decided that the running of the super-site and mobile lab be expedited in consultation with all at the earliest,” the DPCC’s board minutes dated July 31 stated.

The minutes further note that DPCC is now in the process of formally collaborating with IITM Pune to operate the supersite and restart source apportionment studies.

To be sure, IITM is already a key player in Delhi’s pollution forecasting ecosystem. It operates the DSS — which estimates the sources of pollution in NCR on a near-real-time basis — and the Early Warning System (EWS), which predicts AQI levels in the coming days.

The meeting also touched on the fate of the “smog tower” installed at Baba Kharak Singh Marg in 2020, following a Supreme Court directive. Operational through 2021 and 2022, the tower has remained shut since the winter of 2023.

Officials said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which was approached for guidance, has submitted a pilot study on the tower to the Supreme Court and is awaiting further directions. “It is informed that the CPCB has filed an IIT pilot study report on the smog tower before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India… and their (SC’s) decision is awaited,” the minutes noted.

Meanwhile, DPCC will also initiate on-ground verification of how five-star hotels in Delhi are using water — especially whether they have separate pipelines for treated and fresh water.

In a February meeting, 40 hotels were asked to submit self-declared water mass balance statements. The data showed that 760 kilolitres per day (KLD) of treated water was being discharged into sewers, while the rest was being used for non-potable purposes like flushing and horticulture. Over half (54%) of their total water demand was being met by fresh groundwater.

“Ground reality needs to be verified by the DPCC. Hotels may not have separate pipelines for flushing, etc., which need to be checked during inspection. A proper report needs to be prepared for the analysis of water consumption. It was decided that a few hotels be audited in detail for the purpose of study (not for regulatory purposes),” the board minutes stated.