New Delhi: After inaugurating six Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) stations in the city on Monday — taking the total to 46 — Delhi govt plans to install 14 more in the next financial year.The aim is to ensure at least one every 25 square km, officials said, adding, they are assessing areas to install the 14 stations.Moreover, 10 new stations in UP, seven in Haryana and four in Rajasthan are in the process of being set up, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said. TOI had reported last Nov that the spread of the stations is uneven in Delhi-NCR. Though the capital has the highest number of such stations among all Indian cities, their distribution is uneven, with very few in the southwest and northwest peripheries. The situation is no different in NCR cities, with 21 having just a station each.A report by Centre for Science and Environment last year found that the existing monitoring network covers only 26% of Delhi’s area within a 2 km radius, leaving a 74% data shadow; and 75% within a 5 km radius, leaving a 25% shadow. This results in peripheral districts being under-served.The air quality monitoring framework in Delhi-NCR is being strengthened to ensure spatial coverage, improved data reliability and robust scientific assessment of air pollution across the region, CAQM said.“In addition to existing population-based norms for Delhi and contiguous cities of Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Sonipat, norms have been framed for installation of approximately one station every 25 sq km, while other district headquarters and cities will have a station per 50 sq km. Coverage in periurban and suburban areas has been identified as critical for assessing inflow and outflow of pollution and understanding the impact of urban sprawl on regional air quality,” CAQM said. Based on this criteria, 46 additional stations — 16 in Haryana, 15 in UP, 14 in Delhi and one in Rajasthan — are required to strengthen the air quality monitoring infrastructure and to ensure comprehensive and uniform monitoring across Delhi-NCR. Once they are set up, Delhi-NCR will have a total of 157 stations.
