Hyderabad to monitor PM10 and PM2.5 levels at construction sites

The Telangana government has mandated the installation of low-cost sensors at construction and stone crusher sites in Hyderabad to monitor air quality. These sensors, connected to the Pollution Control Board, will track PM10 and PM2.5 levels in real time. The move follows growing complaints from residents about dust clouds and deteriorating air quality.

Hyderabad: Amid increasing complaints of deteriorating air quality in the city, efforts are on to monitor the construction and stone crusher sites, which are known to impact the ambient air.

Towards this, it has been mandated to install low-cost sensors to monitor the ambient air quality at the construction and stone crusher sites. These sensors will be connected to the Telangana Pollution Control Board, which will continuously monitor the PM10 and PM2.5 levels around the area.

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The recent move by the state government follows complaints of air pollution from residents living around the construction and debris-dumping sites in the city. The residents have been raising alarms about dust clouds hanging around the construction and stone crusher sites.

Among the parameters of ambient air quality, the particulate matter – PM 10 (large dust particles) and PM2.5 (tiny particles) – play a crucial role. These two particulate types double or triple at sites with construction activity.

Studies globally have acknowledged that PM10 is likely to deposit in the upper lung region while the PM2.5 could go deeper into the lungs, causing breathing and other health issues.

One of the main reasons for pollution is attributed to the lack of measures by the construction firms to contain rising dust besides a monitoring mechanism by the officials concerned. Further, the government has been facing a severe staff crunch in monitoring pollution around the construction and stone crusher sites.

To overcome these challenges, the government has decided to go online to monitor air quality around construction and stone crusher sites. Now, it has made installation of approved low cost sensors for construction projects taken up in areas greater than 500 square metres mandatory. Necessary permission has to be obtained from the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB).

Official sources are of the view that continuous monitoring of ambient air online will provide an essential database, which will come in handy for executing firms to take necessary corrective actions to meet requisite standards.

“The move is to redress increasing complaints of air pollution from construction sites. The objective is also to meet the national ambient air quality standards,” they said.

If the air pollution continues to exceed the normal standards, it will again be verified manually and necessary regulatory action will be initiated against the construction firm.