Air pollution in India continues to rise despite government efforts
What's the story
Five years after India's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) began, air pollution in most Indian cities continues to surpass national standards, a recent report showed.
The pollution levels are so severe that air quality standards across India fall short of the World Health Organization (WHO)'s global guidelines.
Delhi remains one of the world's most polluted cities, with Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 levels hitting 102 µg/m3 in 2023, a 2.5% increase from 2022.
Context
Why does this story matter?
According to the fifth annual World Air Quality Report 2022, India was the eighth most polluted country in the world.
India recorded an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic meter, more than 10 times the levels recommended by the WHO.
With an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 92.6 micrograms per cubic meter, Delhi has been ranked the second most polluted capital city globally.
Details
Ambitious NCAP program fails to achieve desired results
Launched in 2019, the NCAP aimed to reduce Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentration by 20-30% by 2024 in 131 cities that failed to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) between 2011 and 2015.
However, this goal was later revised to a 40% reduction by 2026.
Despite over Rs. 9,650 crore being allocated to these cities, with 60% of it used by urban local bodies, air pollution remains a growing health crisis.
What Next?
Delhi and Patna top the list of most polluted cities
An analysis by Climate Trends and Respirer Living Sciences found that Delhi and Patna are the most polluted cities, with PM2.5 concentrations rising in Navi Mumbai (46%), Ujjain (46%), and Mumbai (38%) since 2019.
For PM10, Durgapur, Thane, and Mumbai saw increases of 53%, 46%, and 36%, respectively.
Raising concerns over the trend, Director of Climate Trends, Aarti Khosla, stressed the need for improving monitoring and putting stronger mitigation measures in place for the next phase of NCAP.
Insights
Improvement in some cities
Data from Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) shows that 27 cities have improved PM2.5 levels and 24 cities have improved PM10 levels over the past five years.
However, even the least-polluted cities exceed the WHO threshold, underscoring ongoing challenges in achieving internationally recognized air quality standards.
To fix this, national quality standards need to be revised to align with WHO's interim targets, Sector Head - Air Quality at C Step, Dr R Subramanian said, as per News18.
Facts
Experts call for more stringent regulatory frameworks
India's current annual average safe limits for PM2.5 is 40 µg/m3 and 60 µg/m3 for PM10, worse than the WHO's safe limits of 5 µg/m3 for PM2.5.
Experts emphasize the need for stricter regulatory frameworks to combat air pollution.
Reducing vehicular pollution and elecrifying public transport systems to encourage people to choose public transport over private vehicles can help achieve the target, Dr. Subramanian suggested.