Haryana fails to issue pollution data amid crash of monitoring network

Gurgaon: Haryana’s air pollution data has not been available for many months. Why? Since December 2024, 30 out of the 32 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) have not been functioning across the state due to a breakdown of the network. Currently, two stations—in Gurgaon’s Gwal Pahari and Amity University in Panchgaon—are providing pollution data, leaving other parts of the state pollution-blind.

This data blackout is a serious issue; due to the non-availability of data, a health warning has not been delivered. Experts say the state is not able to check the pollution trends, Air Quality Index (AQI). Therefore, people are in the dark about what to do. Air pollution fluctuates in most parts of the country. If the air quality deteriorates, then a warning is issued, and residents take all essential precautions to keep themselves healthy.

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Manoj Kumar from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) emphasized that it is necessary to restart the system. “Haryana is part of the highly polluted Indo-Gangetic plain. Therefore, “data is essential for the implementation of pollution control measures,” he said.

Cities such as Ambala and Faridabad have not received pollution data reports since late 2024. Two stations in Gurgaon have not been operating since April. So is the case with Hisar and Rohtak; these two cities are facing the same fate and went offline several months ago. Meanwhile, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board said that a new tender process is going on. The officials have assured that the defunct monitoring systems are expected to be active again in two months.