Mobile ambient air pollution facility to be stationed at Maradu

A team of researchers from the Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU) here will be at Maradu on Saturday to assess how the implosion of four apartment units there will affect the quality of ambient air and water.

The university has stationed its mobile ambient air pollution facility in front of the Maradu municipal office, located outside the exclusion zone established by the authorities.

The unit, according to the university officials, will start monitoring the presence of pollutants in the ambient air and water samples continuously over a week starting from January 10.

Continuous sampling

“The mobile unit, to be stationed at a corner of the civic administration office by assessing the wind direction, will study the short-term as well as long-term impact of the implosion on the local climate. The continuous sampling will provide more data on the peak time of emissions on that particular location,” said C.T. Aravindakumar, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the university, who heads the initiative.

According to him, the researchers will assess the presence of different air pollutants such as PM10, PM2.5, SOx, NO, NO2, NO x, CO, CO2 and O3.

Additionally, three high-volume air sampler units have been installed at various locations to ascertain the presence of heavy metals such as led and organic chemicals in the air before and after the explosion.

Alongside, water samples to be collected from various waterbodies, including Vembanad Lake, will be analysed for determining the presence of heavy metals, turbidity and organic chemicals, before and after the implosion. Mr. Aravindakumar said this might be the first time such a study was being initiated for demolition of high rises in the Indian conditions.

“Besides mapping the pattern of the dust propagation, distribution and settlement, we will also compare it with similar studies taken up in the western countries to evaluate the differences,” he added.

The team is slated to come up with a preliminary report soon after the implosion and will commission a detailed study report in a later stage.