Question : Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations

(a) whether the Central Pollution Control Board is maintaining only 580 Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AAQMS) in the country against a target of 700 stations;
(b) if so, the details thereof, location/ State-wise including Maharashtra and Jharkhand;
(c) whether the Government has any plan to increase the number of AAQMS in order to disseminate real time effective data on air quality in the country;
(d) if so, the details thereof, location/ State-wise;
(e) whether the Government has released funds to various States to check the level of pollution in their respective States and if so, the details thereof during the last two years and the current year, State-wise; and
(f) the details of works undertaken with the help of funds allocated for controlling pollution and the outcome thereof?

MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

(a)& (b) Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) monitors ambient air quality across the country under National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). The NAMP network presently comprises 684 manual monitoring stations located in 302 cities/towns in 29 states and 5 union territories. The state-wise details of these monitoring stations including 80 stations in Maharashtra and 10 stations in Jharkhand is given at Annexure-I.

(c) & (d) 64 real time Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (CAAQM) Stations located in 40 cities spread over 14 states are operational in the country. The coverage under CAAQMS is being expanded to all the remaining million plus cities and state capitals in order to disseminate real time data relating to air quality in the country. The location/ State-wise details of CAAQMS is given at Annexure-II.
(e) Funds are released for monitoring of air pollution to various monitoring agencies including SPCBs under National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). State-wise details of funds released during last three years and the current year is at Annexure III.
(f) Financial Assistance is also provided for control and abatement of pollution under the schemes, ‘Assistance for Abatement of Pollution’ and ‘Common Effluent Treatment Plants’ (CETP). The details of financial assistance is at Annexure IV. Activities carried out from these funds include lab upgradation / procurement of equipment in the weaker SPCBs, salary support for scientific and technical staff of the SPCBs of North-Eastern Region and all PCCs, construction of Office-cum-laboratory building in SPCBs of North Eastern Region and the weaker PCCs, establishment of new CETPs in industrial estate or a cluster of Small Scale Industries (SSIs) and upgradation / modernization of CETPs earlier financed through the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The expansion of monitoring network and implementation of various activities have helped in mitigation of pollution.

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