Out of 406 cities where PM 2.5 –– fine, respirable particles that are less than 2.56 micron in diameter –– pollution is monitored, only 214 are complying with national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), the Union environment ministry informed the Lok Sabha on March 17, highlighting the extent of the bad air crisis in the country.
Responding to questions from Congress MP and Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, the minister of state for environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said: “Air quality monitoring is carried out by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) in 551 cities in the Country. Out of 406 cities measured for PM 2.5 levels in 2023, 214 cities are complying with National Ambient Air Quality Standards. He provided the list of cities by states and UTs where air quality monitoring is carried out; the guidelines for criteria for setting up of air quality monitoring stations; and the list of cities shortlisted for expansion of air quality monitoring network.
SPCBs and Pollution Control Committees (PCC) have prepared plan for the expansion of air quality monitoring network in additional 119 cities, Singh added.
The NAAQS standard for PM 2.5 is 40 micrograms per cubic metres annually and 60 micrograms per cubic metres daily (in a 24 hour period).
India’s annual PM 2.5 concentration was over 10 times the safe limit at 50.6 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) in 2024 compared to 54.4µg/m3 in 2023, according to Swiss air quality technology firm IQAir’s “World Air Quality Report 2024” released last week. The report said Byrnihat on the Assam-Meghalaya border topped the list as it recorded an annual PM 2.5 concentration of 128.2µg/m3. New Delhi (91.8µg/m3) had a higher annual PM 2.5 concentration than N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, (91.6µg/m3) and Dhaka in Bangladesh (78µg/m3).
HT, on July 20, 2024, reported that road dust mitigation has been the primary focus of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which was launched in 2019 as the first such effort to set clean air targets for 131 polluted cities and to reduce particulate pollution nationally, with much lower funding for combustion sources that emit pollutants, as per an analysis by a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) assessment. NCAP was originally planned to tackle both PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in the 131 non-attainment cities. In practice, only PM10 concentration has been considered for performance assessment.
“The NCAP needs to take PM 2.5 as the benchmark for assessing progress of air pollution control. PM 2.5 is more harmful and it is mainly a result of combustion sources. The health benefits are higher when PM 2.5 is taken as benchmark. We are also noticing non-NCAP cities where pollution is problem. It will be better if NCAP has a much wider focus and state and regional clean air action plan are prioritised,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, CSE.
HT reported last July that air pollution could cause deaths even at levels much lower than what is considered the Indian national standard, according to a study published in Lancet Planetary Health.
The report found that across 10 major cities in India — Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Shimla, and Varanasi – around 33,000 deaths every year are attributable to PM 2.5 pollution levels that breach the WHO guideline of only 15 micrograms per cubic metres.