Shillong, March 19: The Meghalaya Government has ordered for a ‘comprehensive audit and inspection’ of all industrial units in Byrnihat on the Meghalaya side following reports of ‘very poor’ air quality in Byrnihat town, with pollution level of PM 2.5, PM 10, SO2, and NO2 beyond the permissible limits.

The audit has been ordered by the Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, after recently reviewing the situation with officials of Forest and Environment Department. Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) has been directed to perform the audit and inspection. This intensive audit has to be completed by MSPCB in a week’s time and report submitted to Forest and Environment Department.

An order for the audit and inspection was issued by Commissioner & Secretary in-charge Forest & Environment, Pravin Bakshi, on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the Chief Minister gave a comprehensive statement in the Budget Session of the Assembly regarding negative global and national reports and urged coordinated action between Assam and Meghalaya. He also sent a DO letter to Chief Minister of Assam for collaborative action as most of the polluting industries of red category are in Assam side of Byrnihat.

Assam Pollution Control Board has already initiated action and steps for audit and inspection of their industrial units.

At the same time, Meghalaya Government is also initiating stringent measures to monitor and review pollution on its side.

In the recently concluded Meghalaya Assembly’s Budget Session, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had given a suo moto statement on the IQAir’s World Air Quality Report 2024 labelling Byrnihat as the world’s most polluted town. He had countered the report with air quality readings from the state-installed monitoring stations, which had recorded significantly lower pollution levels. However, he had also assured that a joint action plan with Assam will be developed to tackle the air pollution crisis in the border town, since the readings did highlight poor to very poor air quality.

While the data collected by MSPCB from January to the first week of March 2025 showed that Byrnihat’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was ‘Satisfactory’, the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) in Byrnihat, Assam, continued to record “Poor” and “Very Poor” AQI levels on most days. Understanding the fact that air pollution does not have any state boundaries, CM Sangma had assured that the State will “leave no stone unturned to ensure this issue is resolved and minimized” and work with Assam counterpart to address this environmental challenge.

He had also shared that a total of 80 industries are established in the area – 39 on the Assam side and 41 on Meghalaya side. Of these, there are 20 industries in ‘Red Category’ on the Assam side of Byrnihat, as compared to 5 on the Meghalaya side. Additionally, while Meghalaya has 14 industries in green category, Assam has just 4.

Earlier this year, MSPCB conducted surprise inspections at industrial units in EPIP and 13th Mile between January 24 and February 5, which revealed multiple violations of pollution norms. As a result, seven industrial units in Byrnihat were shut down between January 29 and March 11, 2025, and environmental compensation fines were imposed on two additional units.

Read: Poachers kill pregnant elephant on Assam-Meghalaya border

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