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Integrated Air Quality Monitoring and Forecasting Network

Solution Overview

This air quality monitoring and forecasting approach integrates data from multiple monitoring networks operated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) to conduct trend analysis of pollutant concentrations across Mumbai.[3] The framework enables identification of pollution patterns at both city-wide and station-specific levels through systematic assessment of monitored data.[3]

Technical Components

SAFAR-Mumbai operates through a network of 10 Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) established across Greater Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, strategically positioned to represent different microenvironments including industrial, residential, background/cleaner, urban complex, agricultural zones, and urban downtown areas as per international guidelines.[5][1] The monitoring stations measure pollutants including PM1, PM2.5, PM10, Ozone, CO, NOx (NO, NO2), SO2, BC, Methane (CH4), Non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), VOC's, Benzene, and Mercury through automatic analyzers.[1][4] Air quality indicators are monitored at approximately 3 meters height from the ground with online sophisticated instruments that operate round the clock, with data recorded and stored at every 5-minute interval for quality check and further analysis.[1] Meteorological parameters including UV Radiation, Rainfall, Temperature, Humidity, Wind speed, Wind direction, and solar radiation are simultaneously monitored.[1] The system employs a state-of-the-art Atmospheric Chemistry Transport Model (ACTM) to forecast air quality of various pollutants along with weather parameters with inner domain resolution of 1.67 km x 1.67 km.[5] The framework includes six different components from observations and modeling to outreach, incorporating data from air quality and weather monitoring stations network, inventory of emissions to track pollution sources, and the Air Quality Index among others.[6][4] Data for calculating Mumbai's AQI is collected from 30 Air Quality Monitoring Systems (AQMS) stations set up across various locations in Mumbai and Vasai by three different agencies: BMC, MPCB, and IITM.[3]

Implementation Details

SAFAR-Mumbai was dedicated to the nation on June 23, 2015, as a joint venture of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) Mumbai, and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.[5][3] The framework was first developed and implemented for Delhi in 2010, used in Pune from 2013, extended to Mumbai in 2015, and to Ahmedabad in 2017.[4] IITM successfully developed and implemented the system to understand current air pollution levels and forecast them 24-48 hours in advance during the Commonwealth Games 2010 held in Delhi.[7] The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), an autonomous institute under the Union ministry of earth sciences, coordinates and leads the development effort while managing day-to-day SAFAR operations in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Delhi.[7][2] The Metropolitan Air Quality and Weather Service project had a total budget requirement of 90.00 crores rupees allocated from 2012-13 to 2016-17, with 25.00 crores in 2012-13, 30.00 crores in 2013-14, 20.00 crores in 2014-15, 10.00 crores in 2015-16, and 5.00 crores in 2016-17.[7] Specific monitoring locations include the Chembur station at the International Institute for Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Near Govandi Station Over Bridge, Deonar, Chembur, Mumbai-400088 at coordinates 19.04946°N, 72.9162°E.[1] The Bandra Kurla Complex station is located at Nandadeep Park, Bandra East Skywalk, Bandra East, Mumbai-400051 at coordinates 19.053536°N, 72.84643°E.[1] The Colaba station operates at the Indian Meteorological Department, Nananbhai Moosa Marg, Near RC Church, Colaba, Mumbai 400005 at coordinates 18.89806°N, 72.81269°E.[1] BMC has set up air quality monitoring stations at five different places in Mumbai namely Byculla, Ghatkopar, Kandivli, Sewri and Shivaji Nagar.[3] The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) operates at least 11 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) in Mumbai, which typically record lower pollution levels than SAFAR's devices.[2]

Benefits and Impacts

The system provides current and 1-3 days' advance forecast of air quality with associated health advisories in terms of Air Quality Index.[5] SAFAR can give air quality forecasts 24, 48 and 72 hours in advance, and in case of extreme pollution events like dust storms or stubble burning issues, extended range forecasts give forecasts five days in advance.[4] The Model Output Statistics (MOS) application enhanced operational forecast ability of the numerical model, resulting in improved accuracy for specific seasons, particularly winter.[6] The Normalized Gross Error (NGE) of PM2.5 for Mumbai is approximately 13-20%, significantly lower than Delhi's 35%.[6] On January 16, SAFAR data showed Mumbai's AQI to be 306 in the 'very poor' category, while Delhi's was at 242 indicating 'poor' air quality.[2] The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) Project under the Ministry of Earth Sciences received a global nod for the first official indigenous framework to forecast air quality in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad.[4] SAFAR's forecasting model is comparable to the framework by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA).[4] The SAFAR project is adopted as a pilot study of GURME, World Meteorological Organization.[6]

Climate Adaptation Relevance

The air pollution monitoring and forecasting system addresses climate-related air quality challenges by enabling trend analysis of pollutant concentrations at city level and around specific monitoring stations, supporting evidence-based decision-making for urban environmental management.[3] The framework's capability to provide multi-day advance forecasts with health advisories allows municipal authorities and residents to prepare for and respond to extreme pollution events that may be exacerbated by climate conditions.[5][4]

Business Analysis

After the successful demonstration of SAFAR project in Delhi, the Indian government decided to expand it to three more major cities of India: Pune, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, demonstrating scalability and policy support for the framework.[6] The deliverable is to develop and dedicate the System of Air Quality Forecasting & Research (SAFAR) to nation as an operational service in at least 6 Metropolitan cities.[7] The framework can be easily replicated in 132 cities across the country with a population of over 10 lakh, indicating substantial market expansion potential.[4] As per World Meteorological Organisation research, in a city where the population is between 50 lakh to 1 crore, a minimum of 10 to 12 stations is a requirement, establishing technical standards for implementation.[4] The system is proposed to extend to other metropolitan cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Hyderabad using both dense observational network and high resolution air chemistry-transport forecasting model.[7] The objective is to develop a System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) in major metropolitan cities of India including Mumbai under the studies of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate.[7] The project operates through a public-sector partnership model involving BMC, IMD, and IITM, with government funding supporting infrastructure deployment and operational costs.[3][7]

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