Dr. Malik Muhammad Akhtar

Balochistan University
Pakistan

Abstract Title: Spatio-temporal variations and factors affecting the PM2.5 concentration in Quetta, Pakistan.

Biography:

Dr. Malik Muhammad Akhtar has an outstanding professional, scientific, research, teaching, administration, and management background experience of more than 18 years in the water resources and environment fields. He holds a PhD degree in Environmental Engineering and PostDoc in Hydrology and Water Resources Management from China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China. He is PhD approved supervisor from HEC, Pakistan. He has a good scientific publication record of more than 45 publications. He is a member of national and international universities/orginizations. He is serving as Academic Editor of PLOS ONE. He is nominated as Expert in Balochistan Water Task Force (Balochistan, Pakistan). Selection Board, Board of Studies and Research advisor. He is editor/reviewer/member of editorial board of well reputed international Journals. He has diverse experience as a scientist, faculty member, policy adviser and manager in multi-cultural national and international institutions.

Research Interest:

Particulate air pollution is a complex mixture of inorganic and organic substances, which are generated from various anthropogenic and natural sources. Particulate matter (PM) consists of liquid or solid particles of varying sizes suspended in the atmosphere, which negatively impacts ecosystems, human health, and air quality. This study analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns of PM2.5 concentrations in Quetta District of two decades (2001-2021). Remotely sensed PM2.5 data was acquired from the latest satellite-derived global dataset with a high resolution of 0.01° × 0.01°. The dataset evaluation integrated Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) data collected from multiple sources, including NASA and MODIS, along with elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM-DEM), using ArcGIS 10.8 for mapping. The findings revealed the lowest intermediate PM2.5 concentration in 2006 (39.8 μg/m³) and the highest in 2003 (60.3 μg/m³). For the studied years, the maximum, minimum, and intermediate values were 57.1 μg/m³, 36.9 μg/m³, and 47 μg/m³, respectively, all exceeding WHO and Pakistan’s NEQ limits. PM2.5 concentrations were lower at higher elevations (2940–3300 m) and moderate to high at lower elevations (1500–1860 m), indicating a strong correlation between elevation and PM2.5 levels, posing a health risk to communities in lower areas. The findings of this study provide useful insights into the PM2.5 concentration that is one of the prevailing pollutants in district’s atmosphere, and is most probably helpful for policymakers, planners and future researchers. In order to limit or minimize the concentration of this air pollutant, the best strategy is to reduce or improve its sources