All IMD air quality monitoring stations in Delhi offline: CSE

New Delhi, Jun 4 (PTI) None of the eight air quality monitoring stations (AQMs) of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Delhi has relayed data to the central server in the last two months, the Centre for Science and Environment said on Friday.

The IMD said the AQMs are functional but data is not being relayed to the central server due to a technical issue.

"Even though Delhi's monitoring network grew to 40 stations by the end of 2020, the number of active stations has reduced to 32 as all the IMD stations have gone offline," the CSE said.

The IMD's station at Burari crossing has been offline since December last year, while the Ayanagar, CRRI Mathura Road, IGI Airport, Lodhi Road, North Campus DU, and the PUSA stations went offline on March 10, it said.

In fact, the IMD's two other stations -- Gwal Pahari, Gurgaon, and Noida Sector 62 -- have also gone offline, the CSE said.

An IMD official said the Central Pollution Control Board has been informed about the issue, and it is likely to be resolved next week.

The problem could not be fixed earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

Of the 40 AQMs in Delhi, 24 belong to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, six are of the CPCB and two of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. PTI GVS IJT IJT