Variation in Parameters of Ambient Air Quality in National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi (India)

Abstract

Air Pollution is an escalating problem worldwide fuelled by increasing anthropogenic activities, speedy development, rapid industrialization, transportation, superfluous use of fossil fuel consumption, increasing global power needs, etc. Also the diverse meteorological factors influence our environment to a great extent. Population explosion has led to remarkable increase in vehicular population. The use solely depends upon the lifestyle of the citizen. Any change in the lifestyle has a remarkable effect on the air we breathe. A comprehensive database for pollution levels from the year 2006 to 2010 was analyzed for a main traffic intersection and a non-traffic area in Delhi (India). The paper asserts that pollutant concentration levels on weekend are lower than those on weekdays (increase on Sundays with respect to weekdays is CO 2.98 times, PM2.5 1.18 times, NO 1.62 times, NO 2 5.76 times, SO 2 1.27 times and O 3 1.15 times). The pollution levels have been found to attenuate on public holidays and weekends. Pollution can hence be related to the weekly cycle of human activities. Pollutions due to vehicular emissions on roads, rails, air or water all serve as major sources of pollution. Hence, viably possible solutions for pollution control can also be achieved by controlling the magnitude of traffic flow on roads.