Meghalaya installs real-time air monitor in pollution hotspot Byrnihat

Meghalaya moved to tighten its environmental oversight on Friday by launching a real-time air-quality monitoring station in Byrnihat, a town repeatedly identified as one of India’s most polluted industrial clusters.

The Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS), inaugurated by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in Ri-Bhoi district, is designed to track key pollutants round the clock and generate immediate data for regulatory action. Officials said the system will enable the state to “take timely corrective steps” and support policy decisions grounded in evidence.

Byrnihat, located on the Assam–Meghalaya border, has consistently appeared in assessments by IQAir and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, which rank it among the country’s worst air-quality hotspots.

Before travelling to Ri-Bhoi, Sangma chaired a review meeting of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) in Shillong to assess its performance and identify gaps in enforcement.

“We had positive discussions… we also discussed steps to streamline its functioning to make it more effective,” he said, noting that a follow-up session is planned for January to map out an expanded mandate for the board.

The chief minister also opened a zero-liquid-discharge effluent treatment plant and a 47 kW grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic system at the MSPCB office. He later toured the board’s laboratories as part of the broader review of pollution-control infrastructure.