Tracking Smoke

Effective implementation of an efficient pollution monitoring system is caught in delays

- Rohan Gupta

BY DESIGN, it is a robust technology to monitor emissions by highly polluting industries. By default, it is a self-regulatory mechanism. CEMS, or Continuous Emission Monitoring System, is a set of equipment that monitors and sends emission data to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and to the respective state pollution control boards every 15 minutes. Continuous monitoring helps pollution control boards as well as the industry to keep pollution levels in check on a real-time basis. As industries know they are being watched, violations have reduced. Repeat offenders are paid visits by an inspection team of the pollution control board and action is taken as per its report.

For the pollution control board, this means less work and better monitoring. Earlier, monitoring was done manually every 3-6 months, at times even annually. Since the system is automated, it can be of great use in India where resources are meager and infrastructure is weak.