CAQM pulls up Haryana pollution board over dust-monitoring lapses

New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has flagged continued non-compliance by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) in monitoring construction and demolition (C&D) sites, citing widespread failure of web-camera links required to track dust-control measures remotely.

The concerns raised by CAQM, which functions under the Union environment ministry and coordinates with Delhi’s neighbouring states—Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh—to tackle air pollution, come ahead of the winter season, when air quality in Delhi-NCR typically deteriorates.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, CAQM termed the continued lapses as “wilful non-compliance” by the designated enforcement authority. It has asked the HSPCB to furnish details of compliance and action taken on notices issued by the commission.

CAQM has been undertaking sample-based remote monitoring of C&D sites through the web portal of the HSPCB since 2024, it said in the statement on Wednesday. At a review meeting chaired by CAQM chairperson Rajesh Verma on 8 September, the commission said discrepancies in the HSPCB’s C&D monitoring portal had persisted despite being highlighted repeatedly since 2024, it added.

A remote monitoring exercise conducted between 19 and 22 June found that most camera links were non-functional across major national capital region (NCR) districts. Of 213 active C&D sites in Panipat, 457 in Sonipat, 168 in Faridabad, 691 in Gurugram North and 484 in Gurugram South, functional links were available at only four sites in Faridabad, six in Gurugram North and five in Gurugram South.

CAQM had communicated these findings to HSPCB on 8 July and had earlier advised the state pollution board to deploy a dedicated team for remote monitoring. However, the commission said no such team was deployed and there was no substantial improvement.

“Panipat, Sonipat, Faridabad and Gurugram are among the fastest-growing satellite towns and the epicentres of development. But rapid construction also means significant demolition and C&D activity and therefore the authorities must provide additional resources for monitoring and enforcement," said environmentalist and lawyer Akash Vashishtha. "With large-scale construction and demolition underway, compliance with CAQM’s C&D directions requires much greater attention. The poor compliance status reflects the need to strengthen both resources and enforcement mechanisms.”

The discrepancies included incomplete camera links, incorrect login credentials, links requiring mobile applications, non-working URLs (uniform resource locator or web address) and cameras remaining offline despite successful login.

The authorities concerned were also directed to strengthen monitoring and enforcement mechanisms so that the prescribed dust mitigation measures are effectively implemented at C&D sites. The commission has now directed HSPCB to ensure strict compliance with its statutory directions, including taking corrective measures such as closure of non-compliant C&D sites. Authorities were also asked to strengthen monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure effective implementation of dust-mitigation measures.

The directions assume significance as C&D activities are a major source of dust pollution in the National Capital Region. CAQM said timely implementation of its orders and statutory directions is critical to preventing and reducing air pollution across the region.