Low-cost air quality sensors developed in India

Pilot project finds them effective

The 20 low-cost sensor-based air quality monitoring equipment developed by indigenous start-ups have shown an accuracy of nearly 85-90% compared to currently in use regulatory grade monitors, a seven-month pilot project conducted by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) and Bloomberg Philanthropies has found.

The sensors, which measure ambient air quality, feature real-time communication for data transmission of the air quality.

These 20 sensors were among 40 low-cost sensors developed by four different start-ups and were deployed for the study between November 2020 and May 2021 in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) alongside MPCB’s 15 existing continuous (real-time) ambient air quality monitoring stations.

While regulatory grade monitors that are currently in use could cost upward of Rs 20 lakh, these small sensors cost around Rs 60,000.