Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has announced decisive measures to address severe pollution in Byrnihat, a border town that recently made global headlines for its alarming air quality. Taking to social media on March 21, Sangma outlined key initiatives, including a proposed joint committee with Assam and an environmental audit of industrial units across Meghalaya.
“Keeping in mind the environmental concerns, especially in border town of Byrnihat I have: 1) written and spoken to Hon’ble CM Assam @himantabiswa to form a joint committee to coordinate efforts 2) Environmental audit of all the industrial units in the State of Meghalaya in a time bound manner and on regular basis,” he tweeted.
The announcement comes in response to IQAir’s World Air Quality Report 2024, which identified Byrnihat as the world’s most polluted city, recording a PM 2.5 concentration of 128.2 micrograms per cubic meter. Sangma, however, challenged these figures in a recent assembly session, citing Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board data that placed the annual average at a significantly lower 50.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024.
Despite the dispute over figures, the Meghalaya government has already taken action, issuing closure notices to seven industrial units and imposing environmental compensation on two others after surprise inspections earlier this year. The Chief Minister also highlighted persistent “poor” and “very poor” air quality readings from monitoring stations in Balipathar, Assam, suggesting that industrial activity on the Assam side could be a major contributor.
Sangma pointed out that Assam’s Byrnihat has 20 red-category industries compared to just five in Meghalaya, with the Central Pollution Control Board designating the Assam section as a “critically polluted area.” To tackle the crisis, Meghalaya has engaged the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to conduct an emission inventory and source apportionment study.
Additionally, the Chief Minister has requested a joint action plan with Assam, involving experts from both states. “Let me assure, especially the citizens of Byrnihat area on both sides, whether in Assam or Meghalaya, that we are concerned about this particular issue, and we will leave no stone unturned,” Sangma stated in his assembly address.
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