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Delhi AQI: New Stations Show Minimal Change
24 Feb
Summary
- Six new air quality stations were added to Delhi's network.
- Early data suggests these stations marginally affect city AQI.
- New stations are not yet integrated into the official CPCB database.
Delhi recently expanded its air quality monitoring capabilities by inaugurating six new stations on February 9. This addition increases the city's network to 46 stations, establishing it as the largest monitoring network of any Indian city.
The six new monitoring sites, located at JNU, IGNOU, SPMSPC Talkatora Garden, Commonwealth Games Sports Complex, Delhi Cantonment, and NSUT West Campus, are situated in areas generally perceived as greener and with less traffic. These locations were chosen to enhance the comprehensiveness of the data collected.
Initial analysis of data from these new stations, covering a two-hour period on a recent Monday, revealed that they only marginally altered Delhi's average Air Quality Index (AQI). The calculations showed a net change of just one point when the new readings were included with data from the existing 40 stations.
Despite their activation, the data from these six stations has not yet been integrated into the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) database. Consequently, the official AQI reported for Delhi on Monday was still based on the readings from the original 40 stations.
Experts caution that this early analysis has limitations. The data was collected during a relatively clean part of the day and year, and the stations have not yet experienced significant pollution events, such as the post-monsoon smog. A comprehensive assessment of the new stations' impact on the city's average AQI will require data gathered over multiple weeks and across different seasons.
