With air pollution adding to the civic woes due to inhalation of hazardous contents in general, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has decided to set up continuous ambient air quality monitoring station (CAAQMS) in Mangaluru.

Mangaluru is one among the four cities including Mysuru, Dharwad and Kalaburagi where such stations will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore each.
It will be in addition to recently launched mobile smoke emission inspection unit to check the polluting vehicles by the board along with regional transport office (RTO).

The station with automated air quality recording system will be first-of-its-kind in the coastal city, after Bengaluru, where four such facilities have been already commissioned to keep a tab on increasing level of air pollution online. It is expected to be a reality in another three to four months as KSPCB regional office has already floated tenders for the purpose.

Four sites inspected

KSPCB Mangaluru regional office environment officer Rajashekhar B  Puranik told DH, “An expert committee, involving environment officers, senior scientific officers and others, recently visited the city and also inspected four sites – Town Hall precincts, Circuit House, Karnataka Polytechnic (KPT) premises and also Nehru Ground. But the place is yet to be finalised.”

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