29 air quality monitors lay defunct, but Haryana seeks to add 17 more

World Bank-backed ₹3,647 cr project to fund mobile and manual grids, with efforts to end foreign monopoly and reduce maintenance costs.

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) is planning to install 17 new Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Systems (CAAQMS) across the state as part of efforts to expand its monitoring network and cut emissions across the Indo-Gangetic Plain, officials said on Saturday.

Stations in districts like Ambala, Palwal and Dadri fall short of CPCB norms; new units to bridge gaps and supply data for smaller cities and towns. (HT Archive)

The decision comes even as negotiations are underway to revive defunct monitoring stations already in place. A senior HSPCB official said the new units would strengthen the state’s weak distribution of monitoring infrastructure. “It will not only help track the daily air quality index (AQI) in tier II cities and towns, but the systems will also provide us with insightful academic data to understand the problem from the perspective of smaller cities and towns,” the official said.

Several districts with high emissions, such as Charkhi Dadri, Palwal, Ambala and Mandikhera, currently operate with just one station each, falling short of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) norms. “As part of our long-term strategy to curb emissions, 17 new CAAQMS will be installed across the state,” said Jatinder Pal, senior environmental engineer (SEE) and in charge of the Scientific Service Cell at HSPCB. He added that locations for new stations would be finalised based on district mapping and needs assessments.

All 29 air quality monitoring stations currently installed in Haryana have been inactive for six months after contracts with two France-based firms expired in November. Officials claimed the companies demanded nearly triple the earlier maintenance costs. Senior environmental engineer Jatinder Pal said the stations will be made operational on a temporary basis through two private firms by May 24, until a new tender is finalised. “We are trying to break the monopoly of these firms by ensuring reasonable rates without burdening the public exchequer,” Pal said.

While Pal did not specify a timeline for the rollout, he said the expansion plan would also include manual station grids to supplement the network. At present, experts manually track real-time data in many districts due to lack of automated systems.

Pal also pointed to the ₹3,647-crore World Bank-funded clean air project in the pipeline, under which manual grids and mobile CAAQMS machines are expected to be procured. “Each of these machines costs at least ₹5 crore and can monitor air quality for up to 50 hours from remote locations,” he said.