Last year, CSE had found that only 19 of 35 pollution control boards were displaying emissions data in the public domain
Photo: Kanti Kumar / CSE The Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) has taken a step towards displaying Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) data on its website in a more user-friendly manner. CECB is currently displaying data of 167 industrial units in the state from 17 categories.
As of September 9, 2022, CECB regularly received emissions data from 125 of the 167 industries. No data was available from 27 industries that are temporarily closed and data from 15 others were inaccessible due to technical / network issues. The last set of units have been directed to rectify the defect to ensure regular sharing of data with CECB.
To make the system more user-friendly, CECB entrusted the work of supply, commission and maintenance of real-time data acquisition and handling of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station / CEMS / EQMS data to Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society (CHIPS) in Raipur through a client server system for industries.
Read more: Industry emissions data incomplete, inaccessible on Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh websites: CPCB
CHIPS Raipur has entered into a master service agreement with West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation Ltd (WEBEL) Kolkata.
In the first phase, WEBEL connected 468 analysers to an internet of things (IoT) device for a total of 31 industries and successfully completed the targets for this phase.
CECB also issued a certificate of successful completion of user test acceptance to WEBEL.
For the second phase of the work, WEBEL submitted a proposal to CECB for 1,500 analysers to study the remaining units in the 17 categories of highly polluting industries. The total estimated cost for the phase is Rs 10.16 crore.
CECB asked the International Institute of Information Technology, Raipur to evaluate the proposal and the institute recommended it for consideration. The board then requested the chief executive officer of CHIPS to also consider WEBEL’s proposal.
After the work in the second phase is completed, real-time emissions data of all the industries will be displayed on the CECB website in a more user-friendly manner.
The National Green Tribunal February 1, 2022 directed the Central Pollution Control Board to properly monitor the online CEMS and submit a compiled report on the status of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
After the NGT order, Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) started sharing industry-wise real-time data and historical data on their website.
Read more: Step towards transparency: Rajasthan pollution control board shares emissions data online
The Tripura State Pollution Control Board has also taken a step towards sharing CEMS data in the public domain, although historical CEMS data is not available on their website.
In 2021, Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) conducted a study on the transparency index rating of state pollution control boards (SPCB) on public disclosure. The boards were rated on indicators such as ‘availability of CEMS data in the public domain’, ‘availability of historical data and ease of CEMS data accessibility on website’.
Sharing of CEMS data by SPCBs or pollution control committees (PCC) in the public domain was mandated by the Supreme Court of India February 22, 2017. The apex court directed all the state governments to make provision for an ‘online, real-time, continuous monitoring system’ to display emission levels in the public domain or on the portal of the SPCB. States were given six months (by August 2017) to comply.
The objective of making CEMS data public is to increase transparency in pollution reporting and consequently improving compliance. The main aim of the system is to derive emission and effluent quality data with minimal human interferences.
In the CSE study, it was observed that out of 35 SPCB / PCCs only 19 were displaying CEMS data in the public domain. These were Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
In the case of Chhattisgarh, navigation on the website was difficult; accessing the online CEMS data on their website was challenging as it involved multiple complex steps, the organisation found.
CECB has provided the link for CEMS data under the tab “Data” on the home page of its website. It has listed the industries with user ids and passwords. Every industry has a different user id and password for login, which makes CEMS data access difficult.
There is no uniform format for the CEMS data in the Chhasttisgarh website as different software (Enviroconnect, Glens, EnviroLogic IQ, Swan Enviro, Vasthi) have been used by different industries.
It’s been five years since the Supreme Court order, but no concrete actions have been taken by some SPCBs to make the CEMS data public, highlighting the reluctance of the regulatory authorities.
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