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2024 Supreme(Online)(NGT) 5371
NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL KOLKATA (EASTERN ZONE BENCH)
B. Amit Sthalekar, Judicial Member, Arun Kumar Verma, Expert Member
IN RE QUESTIONS ARISE OVER LIMITED AQI MONITORING MACHINES IN KOLKATA COMPARED TO DELHI MUMBAI NEWS ITEM PUBLISHED IN THE LOKMAT TIMES ENGLISH DATED 27 11 2023 – Appellant
Versus
STATE OF WEST BANGAL – Respondent
Original Application No.175/2023/EZ
For the Applicant(s): Suo Motu
For the Respondent(s): Mr. Dipanjan Ghosh, Mr. Rajib Ray, Mr. Sudip Kumar Dutta, Mr. Sibojyoti Chakraborty a/w Mr. Prithwish Basu
Existing air quality monitoring stations in Kolkata meet population-based minimum criteria; application disposed after respondents' compliance reports.
Headnote:The judgment addresses concerns raised by a news article regarding insufficient Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in Kolkata compared to other cities, highlighting commitments for additional stations by the State Pollution Control Board that remain unfulfilled and issues with non-functional machines. Essential facts include Kolkata having only 7-11 CAAQMS against required minimums based on population criteria, supplemented by manual and sensor-based stations. The Tribunal examined affidavits from respondents detailing existing and proposed monitoring infrastructure, finding compliance with guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board for ambient air quality monitoring. Key issues framed include adequacy of CAAQMS in Kolkata Urban Agglomerate per population-based network design criteria and status of promised installations. The ratio decidendi emphasizes that current stations (11 CAAQMS, numerous manual stations, and 67 sensor-based stations) meet minimum requirements, with plans for further expansion pending updated census data; guidelines for monitoring and AQI calculation are followed, ensuring comprehensive pollution assessment. The Original Application is disposed of with no further adjudication required and no order as to costs.
| Table of Content |
|---|
| 1. concerns over insufficient aqi monitoring in kolkata raised by news article. (Para 1 , 2 , 3 , 4) |
| 2. existing caaqms and manual stations exceed minimum population-based requirements. (Para 5 , 6 , 7 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18) |
| 3. cpcb guidelines and real-time aqi dissemination followed. (Para 8 , 9 , 10 , 11) |
| 4. application disposed upon compliance with monitoring criteria. (Para 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23) |
ORDER
1. The present Original Application was taken up in pursuance of an article published in the Lokmat Times English dated 27.11.2023 raising concerns over the limited AQI Monitoring Machines in Kolkata.
2. The article mentions that the total number of automatic Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Kolkata is only 7 compared to 35 in National Capital Region (NCR) and 25 in Mumbai. This, according to the article, deprives the public of getting a 360 degree picture of the pollution level scenario in the city.
3. It is also stated that the West Bengal Pollution Control Board had committed itself to the installation of 10 additional automatic Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) machines in the city in 2022 but the same have not been installed till date. The Report also mentions that some of the automatic CAAQMS machines in the city of Kolkata are nonfunctional and inactive and some show wrong data. The article mentions that 7 automatic CAAQMS machines are totally insufficient for a city of the size and population of Kolkata. The article reads as under: -
“Questions arise over limited AQI monitoring machines in Kolkata compared to Delhi, Mumbai Kolkata, Nov 27 At a time when the air quality index (AQI) is deteriorating fast in Kolkata, questions are being raised about the limited number of CAAQMS machines, meant for monitoring AQI in different pockets of the city, compared to Mumbai and National Capital Region (NCR). According to acclaimed green technologist and environment activist Somendra Mohan Ghosh, the total number of automatic Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) machines in Kolkata is just seven, compared to 35 in the NCR and 25 in Mumbai. This, according to him, deprives the public of getting a 360 degree picture of the pollution level scenario in the city. He also claimed that although the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) promised installation of 10 additional automatic CAAQMS machines in the city last year, the same is yet to see the light of the day till date.
“These 10 are overdue for installation in some critical areas at Kolkata where air pollution levels are higher than average level and are pending since March 2022. The WBPCB knows the reason better but citizens are suffering,” he added.
Ghosh further pointed out that even some of the automatic CAAQMS machines in the city are at times non-functional with some being totally inactive and some showing wrong data.
City-based environment activist Naba Dutta too agreed with Ghosh that just seven automatic CAAQMS machines are simply not enough for a city like Kolkata, which is already among the top ten polluted cities in the world.
“Even as per standards of other national metros the number is too less. We had been for a long time interacting with the state government and the competent authorities on this count so that additional automatic CAAQMS machines were installed. But our efforts are yet to bear fruits,” Dutta added.
He also said that the issue of non-functional machines too has come to the notice of environmentalists. “We are actively pursuing to rectify these areas and our efforts will be on,” Dutta said.
Repeated attempts made by their correspondent to contact the West Bengal Minister Incharge of environment department Md Ghulam Rabbani failed. Both his mobile numbers were perpetually out of reach.
Environmental activists feel that LED displays are capable of displaying real time air quality data from CAAQMS stations using the data acquisition software at the central s
