Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
India

Air quality monitoring van to be deployed in Punjab

Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 Aug, 2023 11:54 AM
  • Air quality monitoring van to be deployed in Punjab

Chandigarh, Aug 25 (IANS) In a first-of-its-kind initiative, an air quality monitoring van will be deployed in Punjab to monitor air pollution levels and to create awareness to understand the type of air they are breathing.

Announcing it on the sidelines of India Clean Air Summit (ICAS) 2023 in Bengaluru, Adarsh Pal Vig, Chairman, Punjab State Pollution Control Board (PSPCB), said it was important for people to understand the air they were breathing.

The van will be operated by a local industry under the corporate environment responsibility (CER) under the direction of the PPCB.

The journey of the air quality monitoring van will start from Khadoor Sahib in Tarn Taran district near Amritsar that already has a forested patch created by Baba Sewa Singh, a social worker and environmentalist.

The air quality of this place will be recorded and then the van will move to other cities across the state, comparing the air quality levels of different locations, and explaining to residents the air they are breathing.

The aim is to identify steps that can be taken to improve the quality of air locally.

“The van will also be used during the stubble burning season at sites where there is deteriorating air quality due to burning compared to those areas that are free from it. It will measure the air quality and explain to people the polluted air they are breathing,” Vig added.

By sharing the data captured by the van, people will be empowered to improve the air they breathe due to their own actions -- an initiative towards citizen science.

“Clean air is a win-win for health and climate but needs to be done with evidence-based strategies and research with local knowledge,” said Vinayak Sinha, Professor, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Mohali during ICAS 2023.

MORE India ARTICLES

3 arrested in Odisha train crash

3 arrested in Odisha train crash
India's federal crime agency has arrested three railway officials in connection with one of the country's deadliest train accidents that killed more than 290 people last month. The three men have been charged with culpable homicide without murder and destruction of evidence.  

3 arrested in Odisha train crash

PM Modi inaugurates various projects worth Rs 7,500 cr in poll-bound Chhattisgarh

PM Modi inaugurates various projects worth Rs 7,500 cr in poll-bound Chhattisgarh
Addressing an event in Raipur, Prime Minister Modi said that the projects will create new employment opportunities for the people of the region and pave way for the development of the state.

PM Modi inaugurates various projects worth Rs 7,500 cr in poll-bound Chhattisgarh

Punjab CM seeks hike in MGNREGA wage rate

Punjab CM seeks hike in MGNREGA wage rate
In a letter to Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh, the Chief Minister sought upward revision in the rates notified for labour under the scheme, claiming that the existing rates are too minuscule. He said lesser wage rate of Rs 303 has been notified for Punjab in comparison to Rs 357 for neighbouring Haryana.

Punjab CM seeks hike in MGNREGA wage rate

Excise policy case: ED attaches assets worth Rs 52 cr of Sisodia, his wife, others

Excise policy case: ED attaches assets worth Rs 52 cr of Sisodia, his wife, others
In a major move, the Enforcement Directorate said on Friday that it has attached assets worth Rs 52.24 crore belonging to arrested AAP leader Minister Manish Sisodia, his wife and some other accused persons in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. 

Excise policy case: ED attaches assets worth Rs 52 cr of Sisodia, his wife, others

Tomatoes worth Rs 3 lakh stolen from farm in Karnataka's Hassan

Tomatoes worth Rs 3 lakh stolen from farm in Karnataka's Hassan
Farmer Dharani aka Somashekar lodged a complaint with Halebeedu police in this regard. Police said that the thieves have taken away 90 boxes of tomatoes worth Rs 3 lakh - as the price of first quality tomato has crossed Rs 150 per kg.

Tomatoes worth Rs 3 lakh stolen from farm in Karnataka's Hassan

Modi meets ex-Japan PM Yoshihide Suga

Modi meets ex-Japan PM Yoshihide Suga
Suga is on a visit to India with a delegation of over 100 members comprising government officials, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), and members of "Ganesha no Kai" group of Parliamentarians. Modi welcomed Suga on his maiden visit to India as the chairman of JIA. 

Modi meets ex-Japan PM Yoshihide Suga