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Lack of land delays new air quality monitoring stations in Pune city
In February last year, the board set up two stations in Pune, including one in Katraj and another one near SPPU. However, due to ongoing metro construction work and proposed flyover work near SPPU, the board had to remove the station as there was a possibility of impartial data
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) launched a project last year to enhance its automatic air quality monitoring stations in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. For Pimpri-Chinchwad, three stations, and four for Pune city were allotted in this. The board established three stations in Pimpri-Chinchwad within a year. However, in Pune the project was delayed due to unavailability of land, said a senior official from MPCB requesting anonymity.
Under the central government’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), there is a plan for the expansion of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in Pune city.
The MPCB received approval for seven such monitoring stations in the last year, while five stations were approved initially at the beginning of the year 2023, the board received approval for two more such stations during November 2023. Hence the board started the process to identify suitable locations for the installation of these CAAQMS.
In February last year, the board set up two stations in Pune, including one in Katraj and another one near Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). However, due to ongoing metro construction work and proposed flyover work near SPPU, the board had to remove the station as there was a possibility of impartial data, according to the official quote above.
“In the last year, we have installed three monitoring stations in the Pimpari-Chinchwad city, and one in the Katraj area all these stations are active. Another station that we had installed near SPPU, had to be removed due to the proposed infrastructure work in the said area,” said Nitin Shinde, sub-regional officer, MPCB, Pune.
“The board is looking for suitable locations for three stations that will be installed in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits. These stations were to be installed by November 2023, however, as locations are yet to be finalised, the installation process is getting delayed,” he said.
“These stations will be set up with the help of PMC as we will require the land use permission as well as some security from the concerned authority,” said Shinde.
Mangesh Dighe, environment officer, PMC, said, “I am unaware of the relocation plan of SPPU’s monitoring station. In other places, certain standards need to be followed while setting up the monitoring station. Therefore, the board has to look for suitable places that will fulfil all the criteria required for the monitoring station.”
“After the board’s recommendation about the places, the corporation will provide all support to the board for the installation of a new air quality monitoring station,” he added.
Rural areas sans air quality monitoring stations
The current approach of installation of Continuous Ambient Air Quality monitoring stations under the NCAP program is only limited to the urban areas of the country. Pune too gets the station inside the municipal corporation limits and rural areas of the district are far away from receiving such monitoring stations anytime soon.
In rural areas, dust and garbage burning are the major issues that contribute to higher pollutants in the air. However, as there are no monitoring stations to check the air quality in those areas, no data is being generated to understand the air quality of the rural or semi-urban areas around the cities.
Speaking about the plan for the installation of air quality monitoring stations in rural areas, Ravindra Andhale, regional officer from MPCB, Pune, said, “Currently, the more focus is given on network enhancement in urban areas where the rising pollution is at a higher level. Gradually the network will expand in rural areas as well.”
