Schoolkids to the rescue during Games

For 10 days in February, 1,000 children from Delhi government schools will monitor the number of vehicles around Commonwealth Games venues and the data they collect will prove crucial in managing air quality during the October 3-14 event.

The Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, which has developed technology for air quality management during the Games, will give the children a gadget, Click Counter, to collect data.

“For air quality management, we need to know the number of vehicles that use the roads around the venues on an average basis daily. The data collected by children will help develop a basic emissions inventory,” Gufran Beig, a scientist with IITM’s System of Air Pollution Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), told IANS.