IIT to develop database on air pollution in Chennai

Monday, 25 November 2002, 20:30 IST
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CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai, has begun work on a pioneering project to study the quality of air in the city. The project, titled 'Fine particulate monitoring and control of volatile organic compounds for improvement of air quality', is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). SIDA funds similar projects in several south Asian countries including Thailand, China, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. The chemical engineering department of the institute will be conducting the three-year study. Dr. T. Swaminathan of IIT would be leading the project. Researchers will measure the micron levels of suspended particles in air in three sections of the city. The shopping, small businesses and residential area of T. Nagar, the industrial estate of Ambattur in north Chennai and the park-forest zone within the IIT campus would be the three study zones. "The project will determine if there is any connection between global warming and atmospheric pollution," Swaminathan told the media at the start of the study. A database will be developed on the size of particulate matter and SPM levels. Asian countries are among the most affected by global warming and the study is part of the Asian Regional technology Project by SIDA.
Source: IANS
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