CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has inaugurated 25 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) installed across the State at a cost of Rs 45 crore. With Tamil Nadu being a leading industrial State in the country and rapid urbanisation happening, it is pivotal to monitor the air quality and identify the source of population.
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has identified 28 locations under the National Ambient Monitoring Programme where maximum numbers of industries were concentrated. Under this programme, air quality is monitored twice a week on a regular basis. TNPCB has also established CAAQMS in five different locations in Chennai and districts like Tiruvallur, Coimbatore, Perundurai and Thoothukudi. Hence, totally nine stations are existing and functional in the State. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the nine locations is uploaded on TNPCB web portal.
The Board has also established 25 stations in Kathivakkam, Vandalur, Hosur, Tiruchy (2), Vellore, Ranipet, Dindigul, Salem, Karur, Pudukottai, Namakkal, Cuddalore (2), Nagapattinam, Tirunelveli, Ariyalur, Ramanathapuram, The Niligris, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Coimbatore, Thanjavur and Tirupur.
These stations will record key parameters like PM 10, PM 2.5, SO2, NO2, NH3, O3, CO, benzene, toluene, Xylene every 15 minutes. The data will be displayed on an electronic display board in each location and transmitted to Care Air Centre where Air Quality Index (AQI) will be generated and uploaded in the TNPCB web site.
Board Chairman AV Venkatachalam said TNPCB has entered into an agreement with nearby education institutions and universities for maintaining the stations. The data obtained will be useful for students and college professors for research purpose. “With the addition of these 25 CAAQMS, the tally has gone up to 34. This apart, there are 121 CAAQMS that are connected to Care Air Centre, which are operated by the industries. Tamil Nadu is the first State to demonstrate such a large network of CAAQMS,” the official said.