PGDAV to have pollution monitoring station

New Delhi: The Delhi University’s PGDAV (Evening) College is all set to become the first institute to have a fully automatic “Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station” on campus. The AAQMS is being instituted in collaboration with Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). In its mega and ambitious project, DPCC is going to establish 20 fully automatic AAQMS at prominent places in the city.

“In the pursuance of the same, one air quality monitoring station is going to be established in the PGDAV (Eve) college premise. The college is going to be the first educational establishment of not only in DU but also of the city to have such monitoring station,” read an official statement. 

According to the college, DPCC has procured ultra-advanced fully automatic ambient air quality monitoring instruments from ‘Ecotech Australia’ to monitor the air quality of the city and these stations will provide real time air quality data, both for scientific analysis and public awareness.

Dr. R.K. Gupta, principal of the college claimed that the college took the initiative and approached DPCC and now the college is the first educational institution of DU and city to have an ultra-modern station costing Rs 2 crore approximately.An LED-display board will be installed at the front fence of the college so that onlookers may notice the concentration of air pollutants. “The construction work has already been started and is going on at a great pace. 

“The station will monitor the air quality of Nehru Nagar and adjoining areas like Maharani Bagh, Ashram, Srinivaspuri, Lajpatnagar and so on. Since the area is also known for its high traffic density and congestion, especially during the peak hours, the station will certainly be helpful in assessing the air quality,” Dr. Gupta said.

Senior DPCC officials have claimed that the upcoming station will start functioning by the second week of September. Other prominent locations where the stations are being established are Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Karni Singh Shooting Range, Major Dhyan Chand national stadium among others.