The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), in association with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and leading instrumentation company Horiba, Japan launched a pilot study on Wednesday on real-time source apportionment of PM2.5 in Delhi and adjoining areas.

The objective of the study is to identify the signature of various sources of pollution and carry out source speciation in select hotspots in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

The study was launched by the CSE in a round-table meeting here.

The monitoring for the study will begin from January 28 and continue till April 28. In these three months, the study will monitor around a dozen locations in Delhi-NCR.

CSE deputy director general Chandra Bhushan said: "The pilot study will come out with signatures to identify the major sources of pollution in real time. Once we have established the signatures for various sources of pollution, the real-time elemental analysis will help us identify the source of pollution in an area, which will then help regulators in taking corrective action quickly."

The study will be carried out using a 'Real-time PM and Elemental Analyzer PX-375', which is a product of Horiba, and gives a continuous analysis of PM2.5 concentration and its elemental composition.

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The technology used for monitoring PM2.5 is Beta-Ray Attenuation; the elemental analysis would be done using X-ray fluorescence technology. The instrument for the study will be co-located with the DPCC's continuous air pollution monitoring stations.

"This is an opportunity to move from static one-time source apportionment to dynamic source identification and realtime mitigation. It can inform the ongoing efforts and processes to implement the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and the Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) for a more effective impact," Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE said in a statement. (IANS)