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Short abstract:

Global south cities are witnessing some rapid changes in the surveillance of air quality. The paper explores the case of Pune, India. Despite strong support and local expertise, challenges like data fragmentation persist, impacting air quality monitoring integration and dissemination.

Long abstract:

Urbanization, rapid industrialization, and inadequate environmental regulations contribute to high levels of air pollutants in global south cities. Addressing air pollution in these cities requires the development and expansion of air quality monitoring networks to provide adequate information on the level of air pollution to decision-makers and citizen and has been central to many air quality policies in global south countries. With new paradigms and technologies emerging in air pollution monitoring, the last decade has witnessed some rapid changes in the production and dissemination of air quality data in global south cities.

We present contrasting perspectives based on extensive literature reviews and interviews with stakeholders, examining the expansion of air quality surveillance in Pune, India. This reflection sheds light on the challenges and opportunities facing air quality monitoring in the context of global south cities. International and central government initiatives to improve air quality surveillance have found a favorable local environment in Pune as the city hosts a robust network of research institutions in air pollution monitoring and allied sciences. Simultaneously, a network of environmental activists has also pushed forward the issue of air pollution on the agenda of local governing bodies ensuring that the issue of air quality data monitoring was not restricted to experts and regulatory bodies.

The proliferation of stakeholders and monitoring networks has resulted in a fragmentation of data production, creating a challenge in integrating information and concerns about quality of the data produced.