5 new air monitoring stations eyed for Gurugram by year-end

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) intends to install 23 CAAQMS across Haryana, including five in Gurugram, before year-end. The proposal was presented to the CAQM during a meeting with board members on the preceding Wednesday. The plan includes the setup of manual “low-cost” monitors as part of a grid-based spatial coverage arrangement. In Gurugram, proposed locations include Behrampur (Sector 71) and Jahajgarh (Sector 106) in peri-urban/transitional zones; Tau Devilal Park (Sector 22) and Leisure Valley Park (Sector 29) in residential/urban areas; and near a water treatment plant in Chandu village along the Gurugram-Jhajjar border road. Each station is intended to cover a 25 sq-km grid. The current Gurugram network comprises three CAAQMS operated by HSPCB (Sector 51, Vikas Sadan, Teri Gram) and one IMD station at NISE Gwal Pahari. The board also aims to procure seven additional stations for other districts later this year. Funding will come from environmental compensation and World Bank support under the Haryana Clean Air Project, with an estimated total cost of ₹3,647 crore. The plan also includes purchasing manual grids and mobile CAAQMS machines, with at least ₹5 crore per machine for assessing air quality in hard-to-reach locations.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) sub-committee reviewed the Haryana State Pollution Control Board's proposal to install 23 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) across the state, including five in Gurugram, and asked for modifications. A new proposal was planned to be submitted during the next debrief.