Shillong, Sept. 8: Byrnihat has registered a significant improvement in the latest national clean-air assessment, raising its score by over 26 per cent and marking Meghalaya’s continued push to curb pollution in its industrial belt.
Byrnihat’s score jumped to 108.5 in the 2026 Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan from 85.7 in the previous cycle. The assessment evaluates cities on clean-air measures, including action against road dust, solid waste, vehicles, industries, construction activities and waste management.
The improved score comes in the wake of stepped-up pollution control measures against industries in the Byrnihat area. The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board inspected several industrial units in EPIP and 13th Mile, with seven units issued closure notices and two facing environmental compensation charges.
With air-quality sensors installed for real-time monitoring, the State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) has also increased inspections and punitive action against industries violating consent-to-operate rules.
More significantly, the state has decided to set up a regional MSPCB office in Byrnihat, enabling faster inspections and stronger enforcement across the industrial belt. The pollution control board, Meghalaya Industrial Development Corporation, Byrnihat Industries Association and local representatives have also come together to form a Joint Committee on Byrnihat air pollution in July this year.
A decision has also been taken to introduce a pilot project using solar-powered air purification machines in Byrnihat town.
However, pollution from Byrnihat’s industries cannot be confined within Meghalaya’s borders. The industrial belt is shared with neighbouring Assam, with 39 industrial units on the Assam side and 41 on the Meghalaya side. Several have been identified as being in the “Red Category”, while the industrial zone on the Assam side has been classified as Critically Polluted.
The issue, therefore, cannot be controlled by either state alone. Meghalaya has called for active inter-state cooperation, with both states acknowledging that tackling the pollution is a shared responsibility.
The latest score reflects progress, but the government itself concedes that there is still a long way to go.
