Delhi-NCR to get 55 new air quality monitoring stations by year-end, total to reach 157

The ambient air quality monitoring network across Delhi-NCR is set to become significantly denser, with 55 more continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) to be added by the end of this year, officials aware of the matter said.

The expansion will take the total number of operational stations across Delhi and NCR towns in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan from the current 102 to 157, meeting a coverage criterion of a station every 25-50 square kilometres (5km x 5km) set by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the Union environment ministry.

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Plan to increase monitoring stations

The plan requires at least one monitoring station for every 25 sq km in Delhi and contiguous NCR cities such as Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Sonepat. For other district headquarters and cities in the NCR, the criterion is one station for every 50 sq km.

The ministry and CAQM announced the expansion plan in February 2026, when Delhi-NCR had 84 stations. Of these, 40 were in Delhi, 22 in Haryana, 18 in Uttar Pradesh and four in Rajasthan.

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A senior CAQM official said several review meetings had been held since February, both at the ministerial level and by the commission with individual states.

“In the latest review meeting, held in August, the figure has increased from 84 stations to 102 stations. However, another 55 stations will be added by the end of this year, taking the total across NCR to 157 stations. This will satisfy the criteria set in February and will be a scientific approach towards data monitoring,” the official, who requested anonymity, said.

Delhi currently has 47 CAAQMS and will get another 13, taking the total to 60. Haryana’s NCR towns, which currently have 22 stations, will get 23 more, taking their total to 45.

Uttar Pradesh will add 16 stations to its existing 27, taking its total to 43, while Rajasthan’s NCR towns will add three to their existing six, taking the total to nine.

The final locations are yet to be decided, the official said. “The final locations are still being fixed so the final list will only be shared in the coming months. However, a number of these stations are already in the tendering stage and we expect them to be able to generate air quality data this winter itself,” he said.

The expansion is aimed at addressing gaps in the region’s air-quality data, particularly in areas that currently have limited or no continuous monitoring.

A Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report released in September last year had highlighted the gaps in Delhi’s existing network. It found that monitoring stations covered only 26% of the city’s geographical area within a 2km radius, while 75% was covered within a 5km radius. This left around 25% of the city as a monitoring “shadow area”, largely in peripheral districts.