NEW DELHI: The Delhi government’s latest move to install six new ambient air quality monitoring stations has drawn criticism from environmental activists, who allege that the strategic placement of these stations in green, low-density areas amounts to “greenwashing” the capital’s pollution data.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa recently announced that the new stations will be set up at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Delhi Cantonment, Netaji Subhash University (West Campus), and the Commonwealth Games Sports Complex. At least two of these — JNU and IGNOU — lie within the South-Central Ridge, a designated forest area while the remaining stations are located in areas with relatively low population density
“The new monitors are being placed in areas with relatively low-density, green, and institutionally controlled environments. These are not areas grappling with the thick of Delhi’s pollution crisis. Instead, they are among the city’s better-performing pockets when it comes to air quality,” said Bhavreen Kandhari, founder of Warrior Moms, a citizen-led collective advocating for clean air.
“It is understandable that some stations are placed in universities to facilitate research, but more and more are being installed in areas with better air quality, instead of industrial or high-density residential zones."
Delhi currently has 40 air quality monitoring stations that feed data into the city’s overall AQI calculations. However, many high-pollution zones — including dense residential and industrial areas — remain unmonitored. Several existing monitors are similarly located in low-exposure zones.
For instance, the station on Shri Aurobindo Marg is inside the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases within the Mehrauli forest range, despite being near congested localities like Lado Sarai and Saidulajaib. Others — like the Karni Singh Shooting Range (Asola Bhatti Forest) and Siri Fort (Hauz Khas Forest) — are also situated far from dense urban settlements.
According to activist Varun Gulati, these stations have a radius of just 1 to 1.5 kilometres. “Many of these are located in areas where they will not be exposed to the most common pollutants like fumes from vehicles and dust from construction activities,” he said.
Kandhari also pointed out the high cost of these installations, “A single CAAQMS setup can cost upwards of Rs 1 crore in installation and operational expenses. These are taxpayer-funded investments that should be strategically deployed where they are most needed: high-density residential areas, congested intersections, industrial belts, and construction-heavy zones. These are the locations where residents, especially children and the elderly, suffer the worst health impacts due to sustained exposure to polluted air."