Haryana pollution-blind, just 2 of 32 stations working

Gurgaon: Haryana's air quality monitoring network has virtually gone dark.

The state's ability to track air quality has been severely compromised as 30 out of 32 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) have gone offline since Dec 2024 because of contract lapses. As of April, only two stations — NISE Gwal Pahari in Gurgaon and Amity University in Panchgaon — are reporting air quality data, leaving the rest of the state pollution-blind.

Without reliable, up-to-date data, the public health response is affected as well. Authorities can't issue timely warnings, enforce pollution control measures or target interventions when and where they are needed.

"With only two stations currently reporting data, the state lacks adequate coverage to assess spatial trends or evaluate compliance with national air quality standards. As part of the Indo-Gangetic plain - one of the most polluted airsheds globally, resuming data reporting in Haryana is essential for ensuring consistent and reliable information to guide effective regional air quality management," said Manoj Kumar, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Among the hardest hit areas includes Ambala, where air quality data was last recorded on Dec 18, 2024. In Faridabad, several stations stopped recording data even earlier – from Nov 2024 – and the blackout has continued till now.

Gurgaon saw its stations shut down in a staggered manner. The CAAQMS in Sector 51 and Teri Gram – two of the four stations in the city – stopped updating data from this month. Hisar last reported data on Dec 24, 2024, and Rohtak in Jan this year.

Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst of think-tank Enviro Catalysts, pointed out that authorities have had months to rectify the problem of awarding a contract to agencies that can crunch data at the air quality monitoring stations. "More than 70% of stations in the CAAQM network in Haryana have been non-functional for over 2.5 months. Sixteen out of 31 stations have been silent since Dec (2024) and six more went down in Jan. This prolonged failure to maintain basic air quality data shows alarming negligence. Immediate action must be taken to restore transparency and accountability," Dahiya said.

Air pollution is a widespread problem in the state.

TOI reported earlier this month that Haryana districts Charkhi Dadri and Gurgaon made it to the list of ten Indian cities with highest air pollution for the 12th time in a row, according to monthly data analysed by CREA.

Also, daily PM2.5 concentration in Gurgaon did not meet the country's safe standards (of 60µg/m3) for almost three-fourth (264 out of 364 days) of the year in 2024. Most of the relatively cleaner days were recorded during the monsoon season, between June and Sept, along with some rare days with low pollution between March and May, or in the winter months.

Asked about the lack of data, a senior official of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) – which awards the contract for CAAQMS – said the agency was working to resolve the issue.

"We are in the process of tendering. It is the first time that the tender for maintaining air monitoring stations expired. We first thought of renewal but later decided to invite players in the market by issuing a tender. We wanted to have a fair process by not renewing the contract with the same company, which has been maintaining the air monitors for the last five years. We are submitting the tender documents today, and within one and a half months, it will be complete," the official said. Even if this timeline is followed, it could take two more months before the monitors are up and running again.