Rajasthan’s Deadly Dust Storm Indicates the Need for Environmental Monitoring System
It was yesterday that we read the news where WHO reported 14 out of 20 most polluted cities are in India. The same day, the whole Rajasthan and UP were shrouded in a deadly dust storm and rains that caused major casualties. The severe dust storm created havoc across the cities of Bharatpur, Alwar and Dholpur districts in Rajasthan. More than 30 were killed and over 100 were injured besides a large scale of destruction.
Rajasthan Deadly Dust storm indicates need for environmental monitoring system
The dust storm has disrupted the lives across the districts. The power distribution company had to switch off the electricity to prevent damage as electricity cables were snapped off as trees were uprooted which fell across the cables. Alwar power distribution company executive engineer DP Singh has given a timeframe of at least 2 days to restore the power supply until then the city will be plunging into darkness.
Secretary, Disaster Management and Relief, Hemant Kumar Gera has released the contingency funds across the districts. Declaring 4 lakhs to be given to the family of the deceased. Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed the condolences to the saddening event and the major loss of lives.
This makes us wonder, could this loss have been prevented? It is with the heavy heart that we write this, but there is a huge data vacuum in India to predict deadly events like these. The purpose behind the inception of Oizom was to aware citizens of the catastrophes through real-time, continuous environmental data acquisition. Oizom with a partner had recently installed one Polludrone Environmental Monitor at Shahjahanpur Toll Plaza, Neemrana, Alwar. Which is among the affected places in this dust storm which took lives of so many innocent people.
We are sharing the real-time data of the Particulate Matter concentrations which reached ‘Severe’ threshold defined by WHO by multiple percentages.