SAFAR

Oct. 19, 2018

According to the data collected by the SAFAR at Chandni Chowk in Delhi, the concentration of the PM 1 air pollutant, which is under 1 micron in size, touched 54.32 micrograms per cubic metre on October 16. This was the highest this season so far.

About:

Full name: SAFAR stands for System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting.
Objective:
- To provide Real-time air quality index on 24x7 basis with colour coding along with 72-hour advance weather forecast
- To issue Health advisory to prepare citizens well in advance.
Key Components:
- Development of emission inventory of air pollutants and defining air quality index (AQI) for India.
- Network of Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) and Automatic Weather Stations (AWS).
- LED/LCD screens located at different locations in the city to display air pollution and weather information.
Parameters monitored:
- Pollutants: PM1, PM2.5, PM10, Ozone, CO, NOx (NO, NO₂), SO₂, BC, Methane (CH₄), Non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), Black Carbon, VOC’s, Benzene and Mercury.
- Meteorological Parameters: UV Radiation, Rainfall, Temperature, Humidity, Wind speed, Wind direction, solar radiation.
Agencies involved: It was indigenously developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune and is run by India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Areas covered: It is being implemented in 4 cities: Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
- SAFAR project was first set up in 2010 in Delhi for the Commonwealth Games.
- It was subsequently launched in Pune (2013), Mumbai (2015) and Ahmedabad (2017).