Smart and Healthy City Protecting from Carcinogenic Pollutants

摘要

According to official estimates, agglomeration of population is concentrated in urban regions globally. As technology rapidly evolves and progresses, so has the quality of life and well-being among the masses. However, the benefits of technology are more apparent in urban regions. This, therefore, has led to a seemingly interminable influx of people towards cities from rural or even semi-urban areas. Research studies conclude that by the end of this decade, the rate of growth of cities in developed and in developing countries will be more than ever. By the median part of this century, the world is expected to be home to 9.7 billion people; of which approximately, two-thirds will be in urban regions alone. Politicians and law-makers across the globe are cognizant of these figures. As a consequence, many governments are in various stages of implementation of smart city projects to accommodate teeming masses of people in a safe, healthy, and progressive environment. In the quest to achieve modernity, humanity has made use of various technological marvels. Progress, however, is not without its disadvantages. The rise of air pollution beyond safe and human-habitable limits has already been recorded in many countries across Asia. Without an effective system to combat the rise of air pollution and its effects, urban city planners face the daunting prospect of waging a losing battle against premature mortality. It is estimated that in the year 2050, in Kolkata alone, thousands will die annually as a result of inhaling polluted air. As one of the mega cities in Asia, Kolkata is fast rising to the top of the rankings among most polluted in terms of breathable air in its atmosphere. In its studies, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBCB) has found that almost 55% of the airborne contaminants and pollutants in the city are as a consequence of the ever-increasing number of vehicles that ply daily on the streets and thoroughfares of Kolkata. The quantum of airborne carcinogenic compounds emitted by growing number of vehicles has become as high as to merit serious considerations as to how to arrest this rate of air pollution in the city. In this manuscript, we look at major steps that can be taken to prevent pollution of air and, thus, make an urban environment, for example the city of Kolkata, a healthier place. We design a system that consists of an embedded outdoor air-pollutant monitoring unit to be installed on roofs of public transports. These embedded devices will be able to measure in real-time the extent of carcinogenic pollutants in the air at various traffic intersections. Data streamed from the Wireless Access Points (WAP) are gathered and stored in remote web server at regular intervals. Analysis of the data so gathered is produced to present a report on the more air-polluted routes across the city. Using a web-enabled software application, it will be possible to be notified in real time, on the ambient air quality. The application will also use Google Maps to display route and the current state of air-pollution at various areas within the city.