Air quality monitoring station at St. Joseph’s College has been inoperative for over six months

The Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS), maintained by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and connected to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website, has been non-functional for over six months. The last update on the CPCB website from this station was on January 19.

The CAAQMS, established on October 28, 2020 with funds from the CPCB and maintained by a private agency under the supervision of TNPCB, plays a crucial role in monitoring air quality in the city. It is essential for tracking various air quality parameters, including vehicular and industrial emissions. Data collected from such centres significantly contribute to studies on sustainable development and climate change.

According to official sources, a fault in the high-voltage transformer had caused the malfunctioning of the machines at the station. The TNPCB had requested the Tangedco to replace the transformer and paid the money for the same. The station was expected to resume operations once the transformer was replaced, sources in TNPCB said.

Although there was another CAAQMS at Bharathidasan University (BDU), it was located on the outskirts of the city. Besides these two CAAQMS, the TNPCB had ambient air quality monitoring stations at five other places in Tiruchi which were manually operated.

“Ideally, all major areas in the city should have ambient air quality monitoring centres to understand the ground situation and raise public awareness. Pollution is not just a Deepavali issue; it’s a year-round problem that requires continuous monitoring. Other States have strict vehicle pollution checks, but we lack such measures here. Vehicle movement has increased, but without data, we can’t assess its impact on air quality,” said Manoj Dharmar, an environmentalist.