Byrnihat pollution: Meghalaya to open regional office, seeks Assam help

The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) is tightening pollution monitoring and enforcement in Byrnihat, the industrial town on the Assam-Meghalaya border, and plans to start running a regional office there soon, its chairman R. Nainamalai has said.

The details were reported by The Sentinel on Wednesday, November 11. NEInsider has not yet seen a separate official release, so this account rests on that single report.

More monitoring, units shut

Nainamalai said the state monitors air quality in Byrnihat through four manual monitoring stations, while industries are required to run online systems that track their emissions. An additional monitoring station has now been set up at 15th Mile in Byrnihat.

The board closed 10 industrial units in September for not complying with pollution norms. Seven of them were later allowed to reopen after complaints were dealt with and corrective steps taken, while three remain shut. During recent inspections, some other units were told to meet prescribed conditions within a fixed time.

Regional office approved

The state government has approved the proposed regional office of the board at Byrnihat and identified land for it, Nainamalai said. A local office would put inspectors closer to the cluster of factories that has made the town a national pollution concern.

Only non-attainment city in Meghalaya

Byrnihat is Meghalaya's only non-attainment city under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), meaning it has failed to meet national air quality standards. The state received Rs 1 crore under the programme for 2025-26 and has spent nearly half of it, and has submitted a proposal for Rs 1.69 crore for 2026-27.

The town drew national attention after IQAir's World Air Quality Report 2024 listed it as the most polluted city in the world on annual average PM2.5.

Readings this week

According to Central Pollution Control Board data cited in the report, Byrnihat's AQI stood at 109, in the moderate category, at 4 pm on November 9. Shillong recorded 133 at JN Stadium and 35 at Lumpyngad at the same time, while Delhi was at 344.

Assam's help sought

Nainamalai stressed that the problem cannot be solved by Meghalaya alone, as Byrnihat's pollution affects areas on both sides of the inter-state boundary. Meghalaya has written to the Assam government seeking joint measures to reduce pollution and is waiting for a reply.

NEInsider will update this story when the regional office opens or Assam responds.