Particulate pollution in Delhi due to Indraprastha power plant

Abstract

Particulate deposition in Delhi due to Indraprastha Power Plant within a radius of 15 km from about it are computed employing the long period concentration equation recommended by American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Ten years (1966-75) data of wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric pressure, surface temperature recorded at Safdarjung airport are used for plume rise and concentrations computations. An elaborate computer programme is developed to compute stability, wind and temperature at the stack level, and concentrations and depositions at every 1 km upto 15 km due to each stack.. The total contribution due to the power plant is obtained as a cumulative of the individual stacks. The same procedure is extended in all directions. Isolines delineating zones of low and high deposition are drawn on monthly and annual maps.

Zones of high deposition/concentration exceeding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) secondary standard located at about 1 km from the power plant oscillates between east and southeast in the year except in monsoon months (June to September) when it lay at a distance of 1 km between west and westnorthwest covering areas like Daryaganj, Ferozshaw Kotla, Irwin Hospital. The total deposition in the winter period is high. The total annual deposition over the area of 15 km radius is 69.864 X 1010 micrograms. Considering the years as a whole the area bounded by the EP A threshold value lies in the southeast between 0 .7 arid 1 .7 km.

It is found that in the absence of any background pollution, particulate pollution in the zone under consideration can Le limited to EP A values by increasing the stack levels to 90 metres. With any increase of background pollution the stack height also is to be further raised.