Less than a third of cities met PM10 target: Report on most polluted cities

Less than a third of cities met PM10 target: Report on most polluted cities

Less than a third of cities met PM10 target: Report on most polluted cities ByJasjeev Gandhiok, New Delhi Jan 10, 2025 08:46 AM IST Share Via Copy Link Analysis did not include PM2.5, the finer particulate that is emitted as smoke and gases from vehicles and burning of any kind

Fewer than one-third of India’s most polluted cities have met their 2024 air quality improvement targets when it comes to reducing dust, raising doubts about the nation’s ability to achieve its broader clean air goals, according to a new report released on Thursday.

Fourteen cities have already achieved the more ambitious goal of 40% reduction, the analysis showed. (Hindustan Times)

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found that just 41 of 131 non-attainment cities achieved their mandated 20-30% reduction in PM10 pollution levels under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

The analysis did not include PM2.5, the finer particulate that is emitted as smoke and gases from vehicles and burning of any kind. The Centre did not specify why it chose PM10 as the focus parameter of NCAP. However, experts have long questioned the need to assess the more harmful PM2.5 particulate matter instead. While PM10 primarily represents dust and other coarser particles, PM2.5 is a result of combustion sources such as vehicles, waste burning and industries. 

The NCAP was launched by the Centre in January 2019 for 131 cities that did not meet the NAAQS (national ambient air quality standards) between 2011 and 2015. Setting 2017 as the base year, the Union had said these cities needed to improve their annual PM 10 levels by 20-30% by 2024. This initial deadline was later extended to 2026, by which time the concentration is to come down by 40%.

Sri Ganganagar, Greater Noida, and Delhi ranked as India’s most polluted cities in 2024, with PM10 levels nearly four times the national safety standard of 60 micrograms per cubic meter. Sri Ganganagar recorded 236 µg/m³, while Greater Noida and Delhi measured 226 µg/m³ and 211 µg/m³, respectively in the last year.

Manoj Kumar, a researcher at CREA and part of the study, said the majority of cities fell to meet even the initial targets of 2024, further raises concerns on meeting the 2026 target of 40% reduction.

“Due to a lack of transparency in city progress, it remains unclear how cities achieved the reported improvement in air quality, making it challenging to identify the specific actions that led to such reductions,” said Manoj Kumar, CREA researcher and study author.

While 68 cities showed some reduction in PM10 concentrations compared to their 2017 baseline, 61 still failed to meet national ambient air quality standards. Uttar Pradesh led improvements with 12 cities meeting targets, followed by Maharashtra with five cities and Punjab with four.

Varanasi emerged as the success story, achieving a 77% reduction in PM10 levels, from 230 µg/m³ in 2017-18 to 52 µg/m³ in 2024. Conversely, Jalgaon in Maharashtra saw pollution levels surge 56%, rising from 70 µg/m³ to 109 µg/m³.

The national capital Delhi showed modest progress, with PM10 levels dropping 12% from 241 to 211 µg/m³, falling short of program targets.

Fourteen cities have already achieved the more ambitious goal of 40% reduction, the analysis showed.

Sunil Dahiya, analyst and founder of the think-tank Envirocatalysts said pollution trends in Indian cities in 2024 were mixed, with no clear pattern of improvement. “While measures like BS VI technology, Ujjwala Yojana, and reduced stubble burning have contributed to an improvement in several NCAP cities in the long run, achieving systematic air quality improvement requires transformative regulation. A timebound target based absolute emission load reduction approach across all sectors and regions is the need of the hour,” he said.