As Delhi and the NCR face hazardous levels of air pollution, emerging technologies like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are being considered as valuable tools to tackle the crisis. GIS offers a spatial framework for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing air quality data, integrating information from ground-based monitoring stations, satellite observations, and meteorological data to create real-time maps that pinpoint pollution hotspots and track air quality patterns over time. This detailed information can empower administrators to implement specific interventions to create a cleaner and healthier environment.
GIS allows for the layering of diverse datasets related to pollution sources like vehicular emissions, industrial activities, and weather conditions, providing authorities with a comprehensive view to identify specific pollution hotspots and design targeted measures such as traffic rerouting or stricter emission norms enforcement. Experts emphasize the importance of addressing pollution on a regional scale, understanding that multiple factors contribute to the thick smog over northern India, including dust inflow, stubble burning, industrial pollutants, and moisture in the air. Leveraging geospatial platforms helps model environmental and climatic data over decades, supporting the development of scenarios to anticipate and mitigate weather patterns and inform socio-economic policies.
Ensuring data uniformity and hyperlocal insights are crucial to improving interventions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Despite efforts like restricting construction activities and generator usage, pollution remains a significant health risk, particularly from PM2.5, linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Harmonized AQI metrics are essential for precise monitoring and implementation of actions, with focuses on areas with the highest health burdens rather than a broad-brush approach. Experts acknowledge that while GIS technology is pivotal in combating air pollution by enabling real-time monitoring and targeted interventions, success depends on strong collaboration between policymakers, technology providers, and citizens. By combining geospatial insights with demographic and regional considerations, a data-driven and adaptive approach can pave the way for sustainable solutions to reduce pollution levels, offering hope for cleaner air in Delhi and beyond.