An automatic ambient air monitoring station was installed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport here on Tuesday, made operational immediately. The station, inaugurated by Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta, will disseminate data on critical pollutants including - sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, ammonia - directly to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) at regular interval of 15 minutes.

This, by taking suitable measures, will help in monitoring air quality of the city.

The station at IGI airport is the world's first real-time ambient air monitoring station assesing air for 12 pollutants' content.

A conventional ambient air monitoring station has also been set up at Kendriya Vidyalaya, RK Puram. Four more stations will soon be started at Vikas Bhawan-II, a major office complex of Delhi government in Civil Lines Area, at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Punjabi Bagh, NP Senior Secondary School Mandir Marg and at Anand Vihar Bus Terminal. The stations will function round-the-clock in all weather conditions.

Mehta said that the data collected from these stations will go a long way in formulation of pollution control policies of the government. He added that the data generated will be available on public domain on the DPCC's websites– dpcc.delhigovt.nic.in and on www.dpccairdata.com.

Mehta also said that the city government is likely to conduct a study to make Delhi a carbon neutral city.