Secunderabad breathes sans air monitoring stations

SECUNDERABAD: At a time when air pollution has become a major cause for concern across the country, residents of Secunderabad are not aware of the pollution levels in their area as there are no air quality monitoring stations here. The area has a population of nearly 20 lakh.
Currently, Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) has six continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQM), of which one is located in Bollaram industrial development area.However, there is no CAAQM in residential areas such as Sainikpuri, Alwal, Marredpally, among others. The stations provide real-time data on air pollutants, which are available online.
“Secunderabad was always known as the green hub of the city. But now, the quality of air here is deteriorating due to garbage burning, increasing vehicles and construction activity. There is a need to have a mechanism to not only monitor air pollution, but also to control it,” said Prof Purushottam Reddy, an environmentalist.
While the TSPCB has no air quality monitoring station in Secunderabad, the one installed at the US Consulate only monitors air quality for particulate matter (PM 2.5). “We always focused on the western corridor given the growth in industries and construction activities. We admit that Secunderabad does need an air quality monitoring station,” said a TSPCB official.
In its action plan for non-attainment cities (those which don’t meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards), TSPCB has proposed two CAAQM stations in the eastern part of the city. “We are considering Sainikpuri and LB Nagar for setting up CAAQM stations at a cost of around Rs 6 crore,” said an official.