Delhi government plans IIT Kanpur partnership for AI-driven pollution source identification

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is exploring a potential collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur to leverage Artificial Intelligence to identify pollution sources at a granular level and assess their impact, officials said on Sunday. The environment department is all set to deliberate on the roadmap for collaboration, institutional mechanisms and phased implementation, an official statement said.

Speaking on the initiative, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, "We are moving towards a model where decisions are driven by real-time data, source identification and measurable outcomes, not reactive measures." The proposed collaboration aims to strengthen Delhi's ability to identify pollution sources at a granular level, assess their impact, and enable targeted, timely interventions across sectors.

The emphasis is on building systems that can monitor, analyse, forecast and guide action on a continuous basis, he said. A key pillar of this approach is dynamic source apportionment, which will help authorities scientifically identify contributions from dust, transport, industry, biomass burning and regional factors. This evidence will enable agencies to act at the source of pollution , rather than resorting to blanket bans and reactive measures, Sirsa added.

Measures across key pollution sources

The proposed collaboration also emphasises on multi-agency coordination, to ensure that municipal bodies, district administrations, enforcement agencies and technical institutions operate on a shared data platform with clearly defined roles and accountability. "When every agency works from the same scientific evidence, action becomes faster, sharper and more effective.

This is how we are aiming to transformation Delhi from firefighting to actual prevention," Sirsa said. The Delhi government is acting simultaneously on four key fronts-vehicular emissions, dust control, polluting industries, and waste management-with round-the-clock interventions by civic agencies. Strict dust norms at construction sites, mechanical road sweeping, anti-smog guns, and mist spray systems on electric poles are tackling airborne particles effectively.

Closure actions against polluting industries are underway through surveys led by District Magistrates and Divisional Commissioners, while intensified waste picking from streets and bio-mining at all landfill sites process approximately 35 MT of legacy waste daily, significantly reducing waste mountains.