Vardhan launches air quality early warning system for Delhi

Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 15

Union Minister for Earth Sciences and Environment Dr Harsh Vardhan today launched the air quality early warning system for Delhi. The system is designed to predict extreme air pollution events and give alerts to take necessary steps as per Graded Response Action Plan of the Union Government.

Vardhan said the system had been developed jointly by the scientists at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (Pune), India Meteorological Department and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting .

Vardhan said that the early warning system would help in proactively forewarning, 3-4 days in advance, any large scale air pollution events which may occur over Delhi.

The minister said that the Central Pollution Control Board had constituted a 41 member team to continuously monitor the air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR and would report to the board.

“Badarpur plant was closed today. Western peripheral expressway will become operational in November first week. Centre has released nearly Rs 600 crore to the concerned states for in-situ management of crop-residue”, Vardhan added.