PUNE: Information about air quality at that point of time and weather forecast for the next day will now be available through SMS alerts, web portals and email alerts. Besides, LED or LCD screens will be installed at 10 locations across the city for constant updates. Titled 'System for Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)', the project has been developed and implemented by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune. B N Goswami, director IITM Pune, said that Pune will be the second city after Delhi to have SAFAR. It was implemented in Delhi during the Commonwealth Games of 2010. After Pune, this project will be implemented in Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. SAFAR will also issue advisories on health, ultraviolet (UV) radiations, besides giving pollution maps. About 100 students attended a workshop at IITM on Wednesday to know more about the project. Starting May 17, these students would go around the city collecting data on air quality and major pollutants emitted by vehicles, industries, construction sites and slums. Emissions of major pollutants will be calculated by taking into account the flow of vehicles and their types on major roads, output from industries, releases from residential and commercial areas, windblown dust and pollution that drifts over the city. Ten air quality monitoring stations will be set up for constant measurement providing inputs on air pollutants in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) areas. Senior scientist at IITM, Gufran Beig, who heads the project, said the existing inventory of pollutants is 4-5 years old. The new inventory will be only for Pune. Beig said that the number of vehicles, fuel quality, vehicle maintenance, traffic congestion, narrow roads, construction activities, paved and unpaved roads, old automotive technologies and industries contribute to deteriorating air-quality in and around Pune. "Major air pollutants are ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and lead among others. Their health hazards are reflected through increasing incidences of cough, headache, nausea, irritation of eyes, bronchial and respiratory diseases," he said. "The objective of SAFAR is dissemination of information to common people and policy makers in a simple language. Thus, colour codes will be used to indicate whether the pollution level is good, moderate, poor, very poor and unhealthy. UV index-skin advisory will point out the level of ultraviolet radiation. The severity of ultraviolet radiation can lead to several skin and vision related diseases and infections. The project will be launched by the end of this year,'' he added. For implementation of SAFAR in Pune, IITM has collaborated with government agencies and health service bodies - Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations, Vasantdada Sugar Institute, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, University of Pune, Ferguson College, Modern College, MIT and India Meteorological Department among others.