Activists seek upgrade of AQI monitors in Gurugram

While Gurugram is in the grip of smog for most part of the day with various real time apps showing AQI crossing 400 at different places, environmentalists allege the government-owned air quality monitors fail to record the pollution levels accurately. Highlighting the issue, a social organisation, Citizens For Clean Air (CFCA), has shot a letter to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and the adjoining areas seeking enhanced monitoring systems.

In a letter to the commission’s chairperson Rajesh Verma, residents have highlighted major lacunae in the monitoring systems. According to the letter, the CAQM monitor at Sector 51 and Gwal Pahari skips PM 2.5 data for some duration impacting the readings.

Monitors not presenting real image

How can you cure the disease if you don’t even know the actual gravity of it? The people are gasping for breath and the AQI monitor nearby shows air quality as moderate. — Ruchika Sethi Takkar, CFCA official spokesperson

“Despite the air quality worsening due to firecrackers in the area, visible smog and dust pollution along with multiple incidents of waste burning, the monitor showed 121 AQI at 8 am. The reliability of the data given by these monitoring stations is impacted by factors like power failure during the most polluted hours,” read the letter.

The environmentalists also highlighted how despite Gurugram constantly seeing perpetual urbanisation, just has four CAQM stations. They have also alleged that these stations miss out on the notably polluted areas like Bajghera, New Dwarka Expressway, Sectors 2-4, 11, 12, 22/23 Caterpuri, Udyog Vihar, and HUDA metro station in Sector 29.

Though GMDA has set up monitors in these areas, environmentalists claim they are not dependable.

“How can you cure the disease if you don’t even know the actual gravity of it. The people are gasping for breath and the AQI monitor nearby shows air quality as moderate,” said Ruchika Sethi Takkar, CFCA official spokesperson.

“Gurugram which is rated one of the most polluted cities of India needs upgraded monitoring systems which will help in deciding the remedies and proper implementation of GRAP.” The environmentalists have demanded that CAQM take samples of air quality in and around Sector 51 and the other adjoining stations as well. They have also sought directions to the authorities to prepare a monthly report on the functioning of the AQI monitoring equipment and pass on the information to the public.