The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on February 10, 2026, issued the notification regarding the Strengthening Air Quality Monitoring Network in Delhi-NCR through Expansion of CAAQMS
The following has been stated namely: -
• The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) is strengthening the air quality monitoring framework across Delhi-NCR to enhance real-time surveillance, data reliability, and evidence-based pollution control.
• An additional 27 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) are being added over the existing 84 stations, 6 have already been installed in Delhi, while the remaining 21 across Haryana (NCR), Rajasthan (NCR), and Uttar Pradesh (NCR) are under installation.
• Scientific criteria for future expansion include population density, land-use patterns (residential, traffic, industrial, background), urban contiguity, peri-urban growth, and grid-based spatial coverage.
• New norms mandate one monitoring station per 25 sq. km (5×5 km grid) in Delhi and major contiguous NCR cities, and one per 50 sq. km in other district headquarters, with added focus on border and background stations.
• A further 46 stations will be installed (14 in Delhi, 16 in Haryana-NCR, 1 in Rajasthan-NCR, 15 in Uttar Pradesh-NCR), raising the total CAAQMS count in Delhi-NCR to 157.
[Press Release: 2225884]
