India has some of the most polluted cities in the world. Rising air pollution is taking a heavy toll on the health and productivity of citizens. With recent studies pegging the death toll due to air pollution at 9 million, we need urgent, effective solutions.
At CSTEP, we are working with state pollution control agencies and the Central Pollution Control Board to scientifically identify the sources of pollution for effective and targeted interventions. With the use of emerging technologies such as low-cost sensors, mobile monitoring, and satellite-based monitoring of air pollution, CSTEP is looking at ways to make data on air pollution comprehensive, robust, and accessible.
The capacity-building measures initiated by CSTEP ensure that state agencies can scientifically assess, interpret, and formulate effective strategies to check rising air pollution.
Stubble management: Harnessing ex-situ options and market mechanisms
Punjab, known as the ‘Granary of India’, is among the top three producers of food grain in the country, with over 11 million tonnes of rice and 16 million tonnes of wheat produced every year. The state relies heavily on the rice–wheat cropping pattern, wherein rice is cultivated during the kharif (summer) season and wheat during the rabi (winter) season. These two crops occupy over 80% of Punjab’s total cropped area. To handle this large-scale crop harvesting, farmers have transitioned to using mechanical harvesters, leaving stubble on the ground.
Introducing the CSTEP Air Quality sector
Air quality can be improved through well-designed air quality management plans that are effectively implemented. For this, we need to know the sources impacting a certain location; the emissions contributed by each source; the interventions that can reduce these emissions; the cost of those interventions; and once implemented, their effectiveness. The sources in question can be local (e.g., city traffic emissions), transboundary (e.g., an industry outside a city or sources in another state), or natural (e.g., desert dust or wildfires).
ASIC 2024: Building faith in sensor data and increasing community participation
The Air Sensors International Conference (ASIC) 2024 was concluded at Riverside, California, USA, in May 2024. With participation from over 35 countries, the conference proceedings laid emphasis on expanding the use of sensors beyond increasing monitoring capacity. The conference enabled academics and industry experts to discuss the current challenges in the mass adoption of sensors for research and actual monitoring. During the South Asia-focused session, the authors participated in a discussion on the advances in the use of sensors in Bengaluru and Delhi NCR.
Annual Report 2023-2024
Our Annual Report 2023–2024 highlights how CSTEP's innovative solutions are driving a change on the ground. We continue to be the catalyst for change by conducting analysis, building tools to support decision-making, and developing innovative approaches to problems.