IMD launches study programme to understand rain-chemistry
The initiative was launched in the presence of KS Hosalikar, head, of CR &S at IMD Pune, and RG Pardeshi, principal of Fergusson College
Pune:
the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, in collaboration with Fergusson College (Autonomous), inaugurated the Precipitation Chemistry Experiment programme on Tuesday, June 20. The activity aims to understand the variations in the chemical composition of rainwater over 6 different micro-environmental sites in Pune.
The initiative was launched in the presence of KS Hosalikar, head, of CR &S at IMD Pune, and RG Pardeshi, principal of Fergusson College.
This four-month-long joint study will be held between June and October 2023. It will help the scientists and students to understand the chemical composition of rainwater which provides the status of air pollution and the possibility of acid rain occurrence over Pune.
It will be conducted at six sites including Shivajinagar, Kondhwa, Pashan, Pimpri, Sinhgad Road, and Sus. During the study, the samples will be collected with the help of students from Fergusson College and will be jointly analysed by scientists from the air pollution section (APS) of IMD, Pune, and the students.
Speaking about the project Hosalikar said, “The deposition of potentially damaging chemicals from the atmosphere to ecosystems is an undesirable consequence of air pollution. The effect of airborne pollution is one of the greatest concerns for many countries including India. The chemical characteristics of rainwater are influenced by the chemicals present in the atmosphere whereas the material deposited by the rain affects our ecosystem. Thus, a proper understanding of rain chemistry is essential for understanding the status of air pollution and assessment of the possibility of acid rain.”
With the result and experience obtained from this experiment, the network of sites will be expanded next year, he added.
