International Journal on Energy for a Clean Environment

ISSN for PRINT: 1561-4417

For Online Access

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2003, Volume4

Mukesh Sharma
Environmental Engineering and Management Program, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, India

R. Pandey
Central Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhawan, East Arjun Nagar, Delhi 110032, India

M. Maheshwary
Environmental Engineering and Management Program, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, India

B. Sengupta
Central Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhawan, East Arjun Nagar, Delhi 110032, India

B. P. Shukla
Central Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhawan, East Arjun Nagar, Delhi 110032, India

A. Mishra
Institute of Engineering and Technology, Department of Chemistry, CSJM University, Kanpur 208016, India

An Air Quality Index (AQI) is proposed for the City of Delhi for simplified public information and data interpretation. A maximum operator concept is used to determine the overall AQI; maximum value of subindices (of each pollutant) is taken as the overall AQI. The mathematical functions for calculating subindices are proposed after considering heath criteria of the United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) (Federal Register, December 9, 1998) and Indian air quality standards. The pollutants included in the index are: SO₂, suspended particle matter (SPM), O₃, NO₂, PM₁₀, and CO.
The investigations into data interpretation vis-a-vis the air quality index for Delhi city have shown that the air quality worsens (Very poor to Severe) in winter months and also during the presummer months. The presummer months like March, April and part of May are characterized by dusty winds resulting in high SPM concentration. The air quality improves in monsoon and postmonsoon periods (Good to Moderate). The SPM was the responsible pollutant for index value over 95 percent of the time at most locations. Nevertheless, at a traffic intersection, the critical pollutant varies and depending on the time of year, it could be SPM, CO, or PM₁₀. It suggests that for large cities like Delhi the critical pollutant will not necessarily be SPM, and information on other pollutants is also required for a proper representation of air quality through AQI.

DOI: 10.1615/InterJEnerCleanEnv.v4.i3.50 Download article, 15 pages

Article price - $35.00

<< Previous article