State plans major upgrade to manual air quality monitoring network

A total of 205 new manual monitoring devices, including 123 low-volume dust samplers for measuring PM2.5, and 82 high-volume samplers for monitoring PM10 -- are proposed to be deployed in more than two dozen cities; including Mumbai, which will get nine new manual monitoring stations

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has initiated a major upgrade in the state’s air quality monitoring capabilities, under Phase II of the National Air Monitoring Programme (NAMP).

Mumbai, India - November 01, 2020: Installations of low-cost sensor-based air quality monitoring equipment has been completed across 15 locations in Mumbai for the first-of-its kind study in India using this technology to accurately measure harmful pollutant concentration in the air, according to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). The sensors measure ambient air quality based on light scattering technology using much smaller equipment as compared to existing air quality measuring technology. The readings from the equipment were relayed to MPCB and IIT-Kanpur servers from in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, November 01, 2020. (HT PHOTO)

A total of 205 new manual monitoring devices, including 123 low-volume dust samplers for measuring PM2.5, and 82 high-volume samplers for monitoring PM10 -- are proposed to be deployed in more than two dozen cities; including Mumbai, which will get nine new manual monitoring stations.

Navi Mumbai, meanwhile, will get four new stations for monitoring PM2.5. In fact, manual monitoring of PM2.5 will be done for the first time at 106 locations across the state, where only PM10 was being monitored earlier.

The list of these locations is with Hindustan Times and includes the MPCB’s regional office in Sion, the Thane-Mulund check naka, Raigad Bhavan in Belapur, CIDCO’s nodal office in Kharghar, Octroi Naka in Ulhasnagar, BIWA House in Badlapur and DY Patil College in Nerul, among others in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

These devices are not the same as Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS), and data from them will not be available to citizens in real-time.

In the manual system, devices take samples of pollutants from ambient air over a period of time, usually a few days, which are analysed later in a lab. It is a cheaper, more time-consuming way to monitor air pollution, but forms the backbone of the NAMP.

Maharashtra currently has 80 manual stations across the state, based on which the state’s performance under the National Clean Air Programme is evaluated. Most major cities in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, recorded reductions in PM10 pollutants between FY2017-18 and FY2021-22, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha last month.

“A CAAQMS is very expensive to operate. It takes regular maintenance and uses a lot of power, so we have to rely on manual monitors as a cheaper alternative. The use of respirable dust samplers in Maharashtra is not new. They have been deployed since the early 2000s mainly at industrial sites and educational institutes for monitoring PM10 levels. We are also going to be phasing out around 60 of these old manual devices from various locations, as most of them now need frequent repairs or do not work. They are mainly around MIDC industrial clusters,” said an official with the MPCB in Mumbai, not wanting to be identified.

A request for proposal (RFP) floated by the MPCB earlier this year, seeking prospective suppliers for these devices, noted, “One of the charters of the MPCB is to monitor levels of pollution and take necessary measures to ensure a safe environment within its jurisdiction. To meet the increasing requirement of such analysis, the board has planned to strengthen its ambient air monitoring programme and has decided to purchase new ambient air quality monitoring equipment.”

An MPCB official confirmed that three bidders have expressed an interest in this project so far and that the new manual stations will likely be deployed by the end of the year, with technical validations slated to be completed by September 2023.