IIT Kanpur inks pact with Ericsson to tackle Delhi pollution

Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) on Thursday entered into a partnership with Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson to deploy Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) to monitor air pollution in Delhi.

"With support from Ericsson, we will develop and deploy India's first NB -IoT based low cost particulate matter sensors at multiple locations across Delhi," S. Tripathi, Head of Department, Civil Engineering at IIT Kanpur, said in a statement.

"The collection and analysis of this data can be of crucial help in addressing the menace of air pollution," Tripathi said.

As part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Ericsson will use locally developed air quality sensors that are capable of sharing environmental data including PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 levels at defined time intervals.

This will lead to better monitoring and analysis of data collected from different parts of the capital.

The findings will be shared with local authorities and other key stakeholders on a periodic basis.

"The sensors are automated and will relay information on defined time intervals, providing data on pollution levels, sources and locations in a sustainable and cost-efficient way," said Nitin Bansal, Head of Ericsson India.