Key Facts

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) operationalised real-time Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) across 75 critical locations, expanding automated environmental surveillance beyond Chennai into Tier-II and Tier-III industrial belts. The monitoring stations measure particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The continuous data feed is integrated directly into the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) National Air Quality Index (AQI) portal, enabling municipal corporations to activate localised pollution response measures and assess industrial emission standards.

GK Context

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 provides the statutory framework under which State Pollution Control Boards enforce ambient air standards. The National Air Quality Index (AQI), launched in 2014 under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, categorises air quality into six colour-coded bands: Good (0–50), Satisfactory (51–100), Moderately Polluted (101–200), Poor (201–300), Very Poor (301–400), and Severe (401–500), assessing eight key pollutants. In urban centres, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) targets a 40% reduction in particulate matter concentrations by 2026.