E-Paper
NCR industries to have monitoring systems as part of measures to check pollution
A series of measures to check deteriorating air quality were discussed at a Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas meeting
As many as 2,254 industries with air pollution potential will have to install Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) and mitigating devices in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) by December 31 or face penalties or closure as part of a series of measures to check deteriorating air quality.
The measures were discussed at a Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas meeting, chaired by Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, on Wednesday, as a streak of bad air that started in November continued, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) of 362 (very poor).
The other significant decisions taken at the meeting included directions to NCR state governments and municipal corporations to finalise the Air Pollution Control Action Plan for 2026 by this month, and decongestion of 61 traffic hotspots to reduce air pollution levels in certain areas.
Officials said around 1,246 industries with air pollution potential have OCEMS. They added that OCEMS will be connected to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s server to track which industries breach emission thresholds.
Officials said that the Union government and the CAQM have been helping industries with their registration on the CPCB’s OCEMS portal. Officials said around 3,500 industries in NCR have air pollution potential. They maintained that air pollution levels this winter were lower than last year. Officials said AQI crossed 400 only three times from January to November. In 2024, there were 11 such days.
On Monday, Yadav told Parliament that the CAAQM has so far issued 95 statutory directions to control air pollution. Yadav added that there is a monitoring mechanism to oversee the implementation of these directions. He said the commission has come up with much stringent emission norms for polluting activities in NCR, as compared to the national standards.
He was responding to Congress lawmaker Krisan Namdeo’s questions on the alarming levels of air pollution in Delhi and its adverse impact on public health, particularly during the winter months.
