TAKING a step forward towards much-needed improvement in Nagpur’s deteriorating air quality, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) is planning to install fifth Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in North Nagpur soon. The new CAAQMS will be installed in Uppalwadi industrial area in Nari where it can monitor the air quality closeto the Koradi and KhaperkhedaThermal Power plants. Nagpur is one among the 132non-attainment cities of thecountry, and does not meet theprescribed air quality standardsset by the Ministry of Environment Forest and ClimateChange (MoEF&CC).

 

Therefore, Centre started National CleanAir Programme (NCAP) for these132 cities where the governmentprovides fund to cities to improve air quality with proper mitigation. Under NCAP, four CAAQMS’s were installed at Town Hall in Mahal, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT) buildings and MPCB Office in Civil Lines area.

 

“The news CAAQMS will come at Nari area and currently we are on talks with Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) for land allocation. Soon the place will be also decided,” Hema Deshpande, Regional Officer, MPCB, informed The Hitavada. Apart from existing four CAAQMS, MPCB installed five Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (AAQMS) at Wadi, Kamptee, MIDC Hingna, Institute of Engineers and Government Polytechnic that provides air quality data twice a week. Currently, all the air quality monitoring stations of the city are providing data of particulate matter (PM) 2.5, PM10 and oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. It has been a long-time demand of environment activists to increase the number of air quality monitoring stations in the city. However, they fell not all the selected locations are appropriate. With this fifth CAAQMS, the administration can monitor the air quality of Uppalwadi industrial area and the nearby thermal power plants. Environment activists were also demanding for air quality monitoring in Koradi area which is now possible with the help of this CAAQMS. Crores of fund has been sanctioned for Nagpur by the Union finance ministry to improve the air quality of the city. These funds have been utilised for air quality monitoring stations, purchasing of mechanised road sweeping machines and much more.