MPCB invites bids to set up 50 air quality monitoring stations
The municipal corporations of Thane, Vasai-Virar and Kalyan-Dombivali will get three monitoring stations each as part of the move
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has invited bids to set up 50 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in 36 different locations in the state including Thane, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar, Ulhasnagar, Nanded, Beed, Gondia, Nandurbar, Satara, Hingoli, Buldhana, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. The municipal corporations of Thane, Vasai-Virar and Kalyan-Dombivali will get three monitoring stations each as part of the move.
The stations will monitor PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, as well as levels of carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonia and ozone. They will also measure wind direction, wind speed, ambient temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation and rainfall.
The request for proposals for setting up 50 CAAQMS was floated on March 13, and the last date for submission of bids is April 2. Though the time frame for setting up the monitoring stations has not been specified, the selected bidder will be responsible for operations and maintenance of the stations for a period of five years, with a possibility of a further three-year extension. The bidder will have to maintain a data display system showing the air quality index and share the data with the MPCB and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on a daily basis.
Experts welcomed the move, saying monitoring was the first step towards improving air quality. “This is a great step, as many regions in Maharashtra either have too few air quality monitoring stations or none at all,” said Sunil Dahiya, analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). “In places where the air quality is bad, the stations will help initiate steps to bring it under control; in places where the air quality is good, monitoring will help retain the level.”
Apart from industries, private vehicles and wood and waste burning contribute to air pollution in a major way, and monitoring stations will help the MPCB, researchers and residents understand varying levels of pollution, said Dahiya.
More monitoring stations in the MMR will also provide further insights into Mumbai’s air pollution owing to the air shed effect, he noted. “If more air quality monitoring stations are added in nearby areas like Mira Bhayandar and Palghar, they can provide insights into how pollutant particles accumulate in these areas and spread to Mumbai with the wind,” he said.