GIS-Based Spatial Assessment of PM10 Driven Air Quality in Bikaner: An Arid Desert City of Western Rajasthan

IJEP 46(10): 931-940 : Vol. 46 Issue 10 (October 2026)

Full Text

R. K. Saran1, Karani Singh Bithoo2 and Leela Kaur3*

1. Jagran Jan Vikas Samiti, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
2. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
3. Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Department of Environmental Science, Bikaner – 334 004, Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Air quality is a crucial factor in human health. It is deteriorating due to particulate pollution, particularly in arid urban environments. This study investigates ambient air quality patterns in Bikaner city, located in the Thar desert of India. We assessed spatial and seasonal variability in air quality. We recorded concentrations of PM10, NO2 and SO2 at three regulatory monitoring stations in Bikaner city for one year. The collected data were analyzed and integrated within a geographic information system (GIS) framework using the inverse distance weighting (IDW) interpolation method to generate continuous spatial surfaces. The study found exceedances of PM10 concentrations above the National Ambient Air Quality standard (100 mg/m³) at all stations and in all seasons. Seasonal means of PM10 concentrations were 136–168 mg/m³ during summer, 100–120 mg/m³ during monsoon and 190–228 mg/m³ during winter. By contrast, concentrations of NO2 (22–34 mg/m³) and SO‚ (5–9 mg/m³) remained within regulatory limits throughout the study period. Spatial GIS mapping revealed PM10 hotspots along traffic corridors, industrial–commercial belts and mining-affected areas. The AQI values mainly fell within the moderate category (101–200) across seasons, with winter deterioration into the poor AQI category (201–300), particularly at residential–traffic and mixed industrial locations. The study validates PM10 as the primary determinant of air quality in Bikaner city. The study recommends that mitigation strategies in arid urban environments be focused on dust control and be season-specific.

Keywords

Ambient air, Air pollution, Particulate matter, Gaseous pollution, National Ambient Air Quality standard, Geographic information system

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