Manesar Industrial Area has emerged as Haryana’s worst air pollution hotspot after a sweeping survey by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) found that 2,912 industrial units across 14 districts are actively contributing to air pollution, with nearly 470 factories yet to install mandatory pollution control equipment.
The findings carry particular significance for Gurugram, where air quality is already among the most stressed in the country. The survey results have been submitted to the National Green Tribunal and central pollution authorities, with June 30, 2026 set as the deadline for completing inspections across all National Capital Region (NCR) districts.
Of the 2,912 polluting units identified, 1,349 are required to install Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS), which transmit real-time emissions data directly to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) server. While 1,286 units have already been connected, 63 remain non-compliant and have been directed to complete the process before the end of this month.
The survey also found that 986 industries are mandated to install Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs). Of these, only 516 have complied, leaving 470 units still operating without the required equipment.
To address the compliance gap, the board has prepared a month-wise installation schedule. It plans to bring 68 units into compliance in June, 84 in July, 104 in August and 214 in September.
The survey further exposed industries operating in non-conforming areas — zones not designated for industrial activity — in and around Gurugram and Manesar, where rapid urban expansion has increasingly blurred the boundaries between residential and industrial land use.
Five such clusters, comprising an estimated 56 industrial units, were identified. All 56 units were inspected between January and April 2026. Authorities shut down 36 units during that period, while the remaining 20 were closed in May.
Senior pollution board officials said defaulting industries face immediate closure orders and legal proceedings under environmental protection laws.
The findings are particularly relevant for Gurugram, whose PM2.5 levels routinely exceed 150 micrograms per cubic metre during the winter months, far above the World Health Organization’s safe limit of 5 micrograms per cubic metre. The city’s pollution burden is driven by a combination of vehicular emissions along the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway, continuous construction activity and industrial emissions from the Manesar-Bawal corridor — the area now under the pollution board’s most intensive scrutiny.
Gurugram typically records its worst air quality between November and January, when temperature inversions trap pollutants close to the ground and stubble-burning smoke from Haryana’s agricultural districts reaches the city within hours. With industrial non-compliance adding to these pressures, authorities have described the June 30 deadline as non-negotiable.
