The Kundannoor road overbridge in Kochi in the early hours of Sunday is veiled in mist-like smoke from the smouldering waste dump in Brahmapuram. (File)
| Photo Credit: H. VIBHU
Kerala’s ambient air quality is currently in the range ‘satisfactory-good’, according to a report prepared by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
The inferences were gathered based on the data gathered from the air quality monitoring network comprising 40 manual and nine continuous ambient monitoring stations in the State.
The report dated September 1, 2025 was submitted before the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the case pertaining to the ambient air quality in Kerala.
State Action Plan
It stated that steps have been initiated to implement a comprehensive State Action Plan on Air Quality with necessary guidance from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and as per the directions issued by the tribunal. As per the report, there are no critically-polluted areas in the State.
The board claimed that various measures have been taken by industries to minimise Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions from storage, transport, and effluent handling facilities. It included double seal floating roofs to ensure low vapourisation and a third party monitoring system accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) lab to ensure that emission and ambient conditions are well within the prescribed limits.
The board said that 40 industrial units have established Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS) connectivity as mandated by the Central Pollution Control Board. Of this, 13 come under the category of highly-polluting industries.
The State Environment Department has entrusted The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) to conduct a source apportionment study in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram as part of identifying sources of pollution in the ambient air in the two cities. As per the NGT direction, the cost of the study has to be met by the State government, CPCB and the KSPCB in the ration of 50:30:20 respectively.
Published – September 12, 2025 05:23 pm IST