Assessment and Spatial Distribution Mapping of Criteria Pollutants

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to assess the urban air quality, and map NO 2 , SO 2 , and PM 10 profiles using two widely spatial interpolation methods, ordinary kriging (OK) and inverse distance weighting (IDW) by estimating their concentrations at distinct non-monitored locations. Assessment and mapping of air pollutants in this study help with policy formulation and decision-making. Kota, the industrial and educational hub of Rajasthan (India), has been selected to study air quality. Results showed that PM 10 is continuously emerging as a foremost contributor to air quality index (AQI) each season. The concentrations of NO 2 and SO 2 in all seasons were well below the permissible level prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Interpolation techniques (OK and IDW) estimated the concentrations of NO 2 , SO 2 , and PM 10 at three sites using air quality data from the year 2019. The interpolated air pollutant results for the specified region were compared with monitored air quality data in the same region. An excellent agreement has been observed by comparing monitored values, and the values predicted from IDW and OK.