Atmospheric air pollution and mapping of Faisalabad city using syntax map method

Full Length Research Paper

Atmospheric air pollution and mapping of Faisalabad city using syntax map method

M. A. K. Shahid¹* and Khadim Hussain²

¹Department of Physics, G.C. University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan.

²Department of Physics, High Energy Physics, Punjab University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: profkhan786@yahoo.com.

Accepted 27 October, 2013

Abstract

The major sources of air pollutants are man’s industrial manufacturing and motor vehicle operation activities, both of which are concentrated in urban areas, where also the bulk of the world’s population lives. It is depicted from the available data that the air quality in most major cities of the world has deteriorated to levels that make air quality management strategies necessary. This paper briefly accounts the air quality management capabilities of developed and developing countries and indicates that in developing nations, especially those in Asia, such capabilities are either absent or only rudimentary. The situation at Faisalabad is taken as an example. This paper is based on a study carried out to determine the spatial distribution of “solid aerosols in Faisalabad environment”. As such, the scaled map of Faisalabad was scanned using syntax map method. A map showing the distribution was produced, probably the first of its kind for the city, which showed that the levels of ‘solid aerosols’ in most locations are much above the average recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), European Academy of Quranic Studies (EAQS) and World Health Organization (WHO). In order to find out which model can be properly used for the pollutant concentration on it, the sensitive zone, medium zone and safe zone were developed respectively. However, the map was found misfit for classifying the zones, hence theoretical and remote sensing techniques were recommended for further improvement.

Key words: Air pollution, dispersion, solid aerosols, shortage of management data, Faisalabad mapping, misfit, syntax map method, theoretical modeling, remote sensing techniques.