Pollution sensors that can withstand the impact of hazardous industrial gases: for factories in Manali, north of Chennai, these instruments are among the most sought-after equipment in their rush to meet a deadline set by the State pollution control authority for an online monitoring plan.

In a letter to industries in this belt, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has asked for action plans to enable Web monitoring of pollution by factories. By March next year, harmful emissions such as carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide, as well as effluents, will be monitored from district offices miles away from the factories. Companies should also soon submit bank guarantees amounting to a fourth of the total cost of these systems. “We are trying out sensors to find out how costly this affair is going to be,” V Srinivasan, Secretary, Manali Industries Association, told Business Line . Srinivasan, who is also one of the top executives at oil refinery Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd, added that the industry is preparing a report on the availability and costs of sensors, software and maintenance expenses.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had drafted an ambitious plan in June 2010 to keep a tab, real-time, on emissions and effluents from petrochemical and fertiliser factories in Manali, an industrial cluster that had scored above the danger limit of 70 on the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index.

Called Care Air Centre, the emission monitoring system is an internet-enabled network connecting factories and the offices of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. Pollution control bodies are concerned about the impact of 17 categories of industries, including petrochemicals, dye and dye intermediates, cement, pharmaceuticalsand power plants. But, for the system to work, companies need to install high-quality sensors in their chimneys, and software to convert accumulated data and send them across to TN PCB.

A safety expert with a large petrochemical company said the sensors will cost about ₹15 lakh, while the accompanying equipment and installation charges will take it up to ₹35 lakh. “We are sitting with our heads in our hands because these sensors are affected by gases and the readings go awry,” he commented. If a factory emits more than it should, the system will trigger an alarm in the premises and send an automated message to the company’s chief executive.

The move by the State pollution authority follows a push from the Central Pollution Control Board in New Delhi towards self-regulation by factories. In a letter in February to State pollution authorities, Chairman of the national body, Susheel Kumar, talked about the “need to inculcate self-discipline in industries.”

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