Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The administration and Indore Municipal Corporation claim to be taking steps to pull down the air pollution level in the city, but the irony is that the ‘cleanest city of the country’ has only one real-time pollution monitoring system.
The system is installed at Regal Square and data collected through it is being sent to the Central Pollution Control Board, while the two manual systems installed at Mhow Naka and Vijay Nagar have been shut down by the Regional Pollution Board on the excuse that they are being outdated.
The AQI of the city was hovering over 100 since March 8, recorded at the monitoring station at Regal Square, but it suddenly decreased below 100 on May 27. Pollution Control Board officials claimed it was the result of heavy winds blowing in the city which was not letting pollution settle in one place.
However, sources said the only monitoring station at Regal Square had been out of order between May 24 and May 26 and could be started only on May 27.
“The level of AQI is below 100 since then and one of the major reasons is that the equipment to measure PM 2.5 is out of order in the machine,” sources said.
Meanwhile, SN Patil, chief chemist, Regional Pollution Control Board, told the media, “Only one machine at the monitoring station at Regal Square is working. We shut down the manual machines on June 1. IMC has floated tenders for four machines and they’ll soon be installed.”
City requires at least nine centres
According to experts, the city is expanding, but not the facilities to monitor the AQI level. The level of AQI is being recorded only in the Regal Square area and not in the whole city.
‘The city requires at least nine monitoring stations in different areas to monitor the real situation. The Regional Pollution Control Board has written to Bhopal informing them about shutting down two manual monitoring centers at Vijay Nagar and Kothari Market,” sources said.
AQI level in the city for the past few days
Date- AQI
June 3- 96
June 2- 100
June 1- 70
May 31- 73
May 30- 84
May 29- 70
May 28- 97
May 27- 97
Sapling plantation
Under the ‘Nurturing Neighbourhood Challenge’ on the occasion of World Environment Day on Sunday, IMC and Indore Smart City will carry out plantation at 100 Ahilya Van in the city. During the plantation, the officials will also interact with parents to provide a healthy environment to the surroundings of their children.
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