Ambient air monitoring station installed at Porompat
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 11 2021: Manipur Pollution Control Board chairman MLA L Radhakishore inaugurated an ambient air quality monitoring station inside the campus of department of environment and climate change at Porompat on Wednesday.

Speaking at the event, MLA Radhakishore explained that the station was installed under National Air Monitoring Programme of Central Pollution Control Board under the ministry of forest and environment.

The tower, where the machines and equipment are installed, was constructed by the directorate of environment and climate change.

At the time when he became chairman of the board, there was no such ambient air quality monitoring station.

After he pursued the matter with the central government, the ministry approved installation of one such station each in all the 16 districts of the state.

So far, 14 stations have been installed and two of them can be used for real time monitoring through online.

These two stations are installed inside Manipur University and DM University campuses.

He said that the state is experiencing significant climate change in the past three decades.

Drinking water has become an issue and people are now forced to buy water from private tankers or packaged water for drinking.

At the same time, farmers are facing the impact of water shortage, he said.

Meanwhile, Bishnupur district is found to have best air quality and as a result, most of the farmers in the district are not facing irrigation problem, he added.

About 30 years ago, the water of Nambul River was clean and many used the river water for various purposes including consumption.

However, it has become the dirtiest river in the state and there is the need to study the reason behind this severe change, he said.

MPCB senior environmental engineer Khagokpam Premkanta said that the newly installed ambient air quality monitoring station will measure air quality in four parameters - dust particles of PM 10 and PM 2.5, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide.

The government authority will discuss relevant follow up measures if the findings are beyond the permissible limit, he said.

He further informed that the data from the station will be sent to the Central Pollution Control Board for analysis.

Forest, environment and climate change additional director MH Khan and environment & climate change director Y Nabachandra were also present on the occasion.

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