Regional Air Quality Management: A Data-Driven Airshed Approach in the Eastern IGP Regions

In India, ensuring clean air for all is vital and should not be limited to urbanites. However, the current air quality monitoring networks and management plans are limited to cities, air quality status across regions is yet to be measured, and comprehensive clean air strategies are nonexistent. To address these significant research gaps, the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring over Rural areas using Indigenous Technology (AMRIT) project was implemented to monitor PM_2.5 pollution using low-cost sensors (LCS) and aims to delineate data-driven airsheds for air quality management. A total of 538 LCS nodes were installed in every block in Bihar, the eastern part of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), and data-driven machine-learning techniques were used to delineate the airsheds. We identified five different airsheds over Bihar; three (two) prevail over the north (south) of the Ganges River; Airshed 1 over the northwest region is highly polluted. However, during the postmonsoon and winter across the airsheds, PM_2.5 levels were two to three times higher than national standards, and approximately 90% of the days, people breathe unhealthy air. The identified airsheds were instrumental in the targeted reduction of air pollution. Furthermore, they will support effective air quality management and inclusive policy formulation to prevent the harmful effects of PM_2.5 pollution in the state of Bihar.