Varanasi tops cities in cutting PM10 levels, says govt; CSE flags city-based approach | India News

NEW DELHI: Ninety-five of the 132 polluted cities identified in the national clean air program have shown improvements in air quality by reducing particulate matter (PM10) concentrations in period 2021-22 compared to 2017, during which Varanasi recorded the highest 53% reduction in hazardous pollution levels during this period, the government stated in its analysis, even if the Center Green thinking about Science and Environment (CSE) highlighted the limitations of such a city-based approach.
The analysis shows that 20 out of 95 cities, including Chennai, MaduraiNashik and Chittur, even complied with the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) setting an acceptable annual average limit for PM10 of 60 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3).

However, the analysis carried out by the Ministry of Environment did not take into account the finer and more dangerous particulate matter, PM2. 5, for the sake of uniformity as only PM10 is monitored in all 132 cities. Under national clean air program (NCAP), the Department has set a target of a 20-30% reduction in particulate matter concentrations by 2024 from 2017 levels nationally. Only 43 NCAP the city has enough PM2. 5 data for the period 2019-2021.
Besides Varanasi which reported the greatest improvement, other cities that have shown improvement in PM10 levels during that period include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra , Pune, Nagpur and Chandigarh. However, PM10 concentrations in most cities continue to be calculated to be much higher than the NAAQS target and limit despite showing improvement.
In Delhi, for example, PM10 levels fell from 241µg/m3 in 2017 to 196 µg/m3 in 2021-22 – an 18% decrease, but it is more than three times the acceptable limit of 60 µg/m3. In Mumbai, PM10 levels drop from 151µg/m3 in 2017 to 106 µg/m3 in 2021-22. In Kolkata, it drops from 119 µg/m3 in 2017 to 105 µg/m3 in 2021-22.
The CSE warns that existing clean air action plans that draw tough boundaries around cities for cleanup will not address major sources of pollution in a larger orbit.
“The science of the effects of pollution in the region has begun to take shape in India. NCAP has adopted regional air quality management principles. But there is no regulatory framework that allows multi-jurisdictional management to take appropriate action and establish forward and backward accountability by state governments to improve air quality in the region,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, chief executive officer, CSE said.