Meghalaya boosts air-quality vigil in Byrnihat, installs real-time monitoring system

Meghalaya has intensified air-quality surveillance in Byrnihat — recently flagged as one of India’s most polluted towns — with Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma inaugurating a Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) in Ri-Bhoi district, officials said.

Located along the Assam–Meghalaya border, Byrnihat has repeatedly figured among the country’s worst pollution hotspots in studies by IQAir and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. 

The new CAAQMS will generate real-time readings on key pollutants, enabling quicker interventions and data-driven policy measures, they said.

Earlier in Shillong, Sangma, who also heads the Forests and Environment Department, chaired a review meeting of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) to assess its functioning and streamline operations. He said a follow-up meeting in January will finalise steps to strengthen and expand the board’s mandate.

Sangma also inaugurated a zero liquid discharge effluent treatment plant and a 47 kW grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic system at the MSPCB office before inspecting the board’s laboratories, officials added.