BMC to Install Five New Air Quality Monitoring Stations in Mumbai for Rs 17.50 Crore
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to establish five new Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) across Mumbai at a project cost of Rs 17.50 crore. These new automated stations will be located at C.D. Deshmukh Garden in Mulund East, Pramod Mahajan Park in Worli, Aarey Garden at Chhota Kashmir in Goregaon East, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Recreation Ground in Dahisar East, and the BMC's Assistant Commissioner's Office in Khar West.
According to the civic body's Environment Department, the expansion of the monitoring network aims to strengthen pollution control measures and support evidence-based policy decisions. The project budget of Rs 17.50 crore includes the installation of the stations, a three-year warranty, and five years of subsequent maintenance.
The upcoming stations will continuously monitor key air pollutants and analyze ambient air quality on an hourly basis. In addition to tracking pollutant levels, the automated facilities will monitor key meteorological parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction.
Once operational, the real-time pollution data and the Air Quality Index (AQI) from each station will be integrated with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) server. This will allow citizens to access real-time air quality updates via the CPCB's 'Sameer' mobile application and the BMC's official portal.
Currently, Mumbai has 28 reference-grade CAAQMS that comply with CPCB standards for calibration, monitoring, quality assurance, and data validation. Of these existing stations, 14 are operated by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), nine by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), and five by the BMC.
A civic official noted that the five new sites were selected to ensure they do not overlap with the existing monitoring networks of the MPCB, the BMC, or the SAFAR project. The real-time data from these new locations is intended to help the city assess localized pollution levels and implement cleaner environment initiatives.
