Can you breathe? Two mobile vans will tell you

Bengaluru: Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has introduced two mobile vehicles to monitor air pollution. The two vans  equipped with air monitoring devices will move around the city and provide real time pollution data in the city.

“The two vehicles will be deployed in North and South Karnataka. Due to requirements in Whitefield area at present both vehicles are in the city. Later, one will be deployed in Ballari while the other will be retained for the city,” said Ranga Rao, Member Secretary, KSPCB.

Each van costs Rs 1.4 cr
Apart from five continuous monitoring stations installed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the KSPCB, there are 19 manual air monitoring stations installed at different locations across the city.

The air quality monitoring data can be monitored online at the KSPCB website and the mobile vans.

The mobile vans once commissioned will give the real time data, unlike the fixed air monitoring stations, they will move around the city to provide data on temperature, weather, wind speed and air quality.

KSPCB Chairman Lakshman pointed out that regular inspection and taking various measures along with the civic administration helped Bengaluru stay away from the recent World Health Organisation (WHO)’s dubious list of world’s most polluted cities, while 10 Indian cities, including Delhi, figured in the top 20 list.

“Our coordination with the civic agencies led to a huge drop in the incidents of garbage burning and regular vehicular inspections, which has contributed in bringing down pollution level. Moreover, the areas where Namma metro runs have also witnessed a sharp drop in emission level.”