An MPCB-IITKanpur-Bloomberg study has revealed that new low cost pollution or air quality sensors are showing an efficacy of 85% over earlier monitors. MPCB and other experts recommend it could be a good option to make the Mumbai region’s monitoring Network more dense and sensitive to pollution by monitoring additional hotspots. The move, they say, may help the administration take immediate corrective actions to keep air clean.
Twenty low-cost sensors developed by indigenous start-ups have shown an accuracy of nearly 85-90% vis–vis regulatory grade monitors during a seven-month pilot project conducted by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) in PARTNERSHIP with Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
These were among a fleet of 40 low-cost sensors developed by four different start-ups and deployed for the study. The findings reveal that sensors from three start-ups saw a Percentage error (measured with respect to true value measured by CAAQMS) of less than 25% for uncalibrated values. After calibration the error was reduced to less than 15% for three types of sensors and 20% for the fourth type.
The study was conducted between November 2020 and May 2021 when 40 low-cost monitoring sensors were installed alongside MPCBs 15 existing continuous (real-time) ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) – Colaba, Worli, Sion, Bandra, Vile Parle, Kurla, International Airport, Powai, Kandivali, Mulund, Borivali, Vasai, Mahape, Nerul, Kalyan.
The study was conducted between November 2020 and May 2021 when 40 low-cost monitoring sensors were installed alongside MPCBs 15 existing continuous (real-time) ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) – Colaba, Worli, Sion, Bandra, Vile Parle, Kurla, International Airport, Powai, Kandivali, Mulund, Borivali, Vasai, Mahape, Nerul, Kalyan.
The findings of the study have thrown open the possibility of expanding not only Mumbai region but the countrys monitoring network at a fraction of the cost. While regulatory grade monitors could cost upward of Rs 20 lakhs, the start-up built small sensors cost around Rs 60,000.