State to get nine more stations to monitor air quality

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 29

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has decided to install nine more much-needed Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in various districts of the state. Currently, the state has only four such stations — Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rohtak and Panchkula — to monitor air quality.

The HSPCB authorities have proposed to install such stations in Dharuhera, Sonepat, Panipat, Bahadurgarh, Karnal, Kaithal, Yamunanagar, Manesar in Gurgaon district and Sector 55 of Faridabad. The proposed station might become operational within six months if things move at fast pace.

Sources in the department said that they were not getting exact picture of air quality of Kaithal, Jind, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Karnal, Sonepat, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunangar and Panipat, which are industrial hubs of the state. But on papers, they had been claiming to keep a check over these districts through the four stations, the sources added.

“We want to increase the number of stations in Haryana, but the delay in finalising the specifications for the new stations by the Central Pollution Control Board has delayed it. Now, we have got the specifications and started the work to install 9 more stations in the state,” said Anurag Rastogi, Chairman of the HSPCB.

Each station would cost around Rs 1.25 crore and the total cost of the project would be around Rs 11.25 crore.

The authorities will invite global tender as machines are not manufactured in India. The new stations will enable the HSPCB to effectively monitor the air quality of all state.