05 June,2026 07:44 AM IST | Mumbai | Eeshanpriya MS
Civic officials said air quality declines in the months after the monsoon. FILE PIC/ASHISH RAJE
Mumbai needs 48-50 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines, but has only 30 CAAQMS installed across the city at present, according to information from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and CPCB accessed by mid-day.
Of these, 28 monitoring stations are operational. The BMC will install five more as per CPCB guidelines, while the CPCB is also installing new stations, and is coordinating with BMC to identify localities where they can be installed.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change guidelines, "The air quality monitoring station must adequately reflect population distribution, characteristics such as residential, traffic, industrial and background areas, and urban contiguity and the rapid expansion of peri-urban/suburban regions." The CPCB guidelines point to a requirement of one air quality monitoring station for a population of 4 lakh people. These monitoring stations should be installed at residential and commercial locations, along with areas around open green spaces, to ensure comprehensive AQI (Air Quality Index) readings for the city.
According to CPCB's Sameer mobile application, of the 30 air quality monitoring stations, 28 are operational, of which five are operated by the civic body, nine by IIT-Bombay, and 14 by the CPCB. However, it is optimal for the city to have up to 50 monitoring stations.
Optimally placed monitoring stations help in gathering data on AQI, which presents a true picture of the air quality of Mumbai, according to insights from civic officials.
"As per population density, we have fewer CAAQMS, but given the geography, we are not truly falling short. To bridge the gap in data gathering, BMC tied up with IIT Kanpur for installation of 75 sensors for hyperlocal monitoring, under MANAS. With this, the monitoring density will shrink to about one sensor or station per 5-6 sq km. I met with IIT Kanpur representatives this week. The sensors under MANAS will be installed by October. Monsoon months have better air quality, which begins to deteriorate once the rains subside. We have our plans ready with that timeline in mind," said a senior civic official.
In December 2025, BMC decided to install five new CAAQMS - at CD Deshmukh Park in Mulund West, Pramod Mahajan Park in Dadar West, Chhota Kashmir in Aarey-Goregaon East, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Recreation Ground in Dahisar East, and at the BMC K West ward office in Andheri West. These locations were selected after studying the requirements of the area as per CPCB guidelines.
>> Minimum distance of 3 km to be maintained between two stations
>> 3/4 of the quadrant must have free air flow
>> It should not be located under a building or a tree (as pollens or other matter can influence particulate matter readings)
>> Should be 3-5 metres above road pavement
>> There should be no major road or highway within 500 metres of a station
While CPCB guidelines were adhered to, the BMC noticed that over time, readings from the stations became compromised due to rapid development. "In Mazagaon, we noticed that a bakery later came up in the immediate vicinity of our monitoring station. Pollution from the bakery compromised our readings. The readings can be influenced by air patterns, open spaces, and building heights," an official said.
"We receive feedback of spikes in localised air quality in high traffic areas or near the playground (referring to the Western Express Highway and Shivaji Park playground). The guidelines say that ambient air should be monitored instead of source pollution (such as the area's near kerb side traffic, or open playgrounds). Other methods are available to gauge and tackle localised pollution, such as handheld devices and mobile vans. BMC is procuring these," an official said.
