Professor Sachchida Nand Tripathi from IIT Kanpur set out to install low-cost air quality sensors across Uttar Pradesh, not expecting the eye-opening results that followed. In rural regions such as Azamgarh and Kushinagar, the air quality turned out to be as poor as Delhi’s worst pollution days. This eye-opening discovery forms the backbone of a remarkable partnership between IIT Kanpur’s Airawat Research Foundation and IBM. Together, they’re using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge sensor technology to wage a smarter battle against India’s escalating air pollution crisis.

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Closing the Data Gap

Until now, one of the biggest hurdles in tackling air pollution has been the severe shortage of data. In populous states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, there were just 110 government air quality monitors combined—barely scratching the surface for regions this large. To put this in perspective, it’s akin to trying to forecast Europe’s weather with just a handful of thermometers.

Over the past two years, the IIT Kanpur team has worked to fill this massive gap. They’ve installed more than 1,300 affordable, locally designed air quality sensors across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, creating a dense monitoring network that’s 12 times larger than what previously existed. Nearly every administrative block now hosts a sensor, providing unprecedented visibility into the air people breathe every day.

AI Connects the Dots

With thousands of sensors generating over 200,000 data points daily, simply collecting information wasn’t enough—the data needed to be understood and acted upon. That’s where IBM’s AI technology comes in. Using artificial intelligence, researchers identified vast pollution-sharing zones, called "airsheds," spanning 15 to 20 districts. Pollution, they found, doesn’t stay confined to one place. An industrial cluster or crop-burning event in one district could degrade the air in several neighbouring areas.

Even more impressive is the system’s ability to pinpoint the exact cause of pollution at any given time. Whether it’s construction dust, crop stubble burning, or industrial smoke, the AI analyses data streams in real-time to highlight sources and track how pollution patterns shift with changing seasons.

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Mobile Labs & Hidden Pollution Sources

Adding another layer of insight, IIT Kanpur’s mobile air quality labs—vans loaded with high-end monitoring equipment—can be dispatched wherever needed. In just 12 days in Lucknow, one such van detected a little-known industrial pollution source tucked between two well-known landmarks. It identified not just smoke but also the presence of metal particles, coal-burning residues, and even traces of e-waste incineration, along with exact timings of emission spikes.

Rural Areas Hit Harder Than Expected

Perhaps the most surprising revelation has been the dire state of rural air quality. For years, air pollution has been viewed largely as an urban crisis. But the data paints a different picture—villages are grappling with harmful pollutants caused by biomass cooking, stubble burning, and smaller industrial activities.

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Scaling Up for Nationwide Impact

IBM’s role in this effort is critical for scaling the solution beyond the pilot stage. Making sense of hundreds of thousands of data points in real-time takes robust computing infrastructure, and IBM’s systems help manage this at scale. The partnership’s long-term vision is to expand these solutions across India, turning this grassroots innovation into a national air quality intelligence network.

The sensors now enable predictions at a hyper-local level—down to a half-kilometre. This means people living in adjacent neighbourhoods could see significantly different air quality readings, helping individuals and policymakers respond with far greater precision.

A Roadmap 

Recognising the success of this initiative, the Uttar Pradesh government is preparing to take it further. Backed by a ₹5,000 crore World Bank-supported project, the state aims to expand the use of these technologies, potentially setting a benchmark for other regions to follow. By combining low-cost technology, AI-powered insights, and strong public-private collaboration, IIT Kanpur and IBM are showing how even some of India’s most underserved areas can get the tools they need to fight back against air pollution.