The center has set a new target of a 40 percent reduction in particulate matter concentrations in cities covered by the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) by 2026, updating an earlier target of a 20 to 30 percent reduction by 2024, officials said. According to the Union Environment Ministry, 95 of the 131 non-attainment cities covered by the NCAP saw an overall improvement in PM10 levels in 2021 compared to 2017 levels.
Twenty cities, including Chennai, Madurai and Nashik, met the national standards for annual average concentration of PM10 (60 micrograms per cubic metre). The acceptable annual standard for PM2.5 is 40 micrograms per cubic meter. PM2.5 are fine inhalable particles with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller and pose the greatest health risk. 132 cities covered by NCAP failed to meet prescribed national ambient air quality standards for five consecutive years (2011-2015).
“The target of reducing PM levels by 20 to 30 percent must be met by 2024. The results under NCAP are good so far. Therefore, we have decided to update the reduction target to 40 percent by 2026,” the environment ministry said. City-specific action plans have been prepared under the NCAP, which include measures to strengthen air quality monitoring network, reduce vehicular and industrial emissions, increase public awareness, etc. “Cities are also updating their action plans to meet the updated targets,” the official said .
Cities that have shown an overall improvement in PM 10 concentration since 2017 include Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Patna, Nagpur, Pune, Agra, Allahabad, Bareilly, Firozabad, Moradasi, Kanpur , Varana Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Raipur among others. In Delhi, the concentration of PM10 has decreased from 241 micrograms per cubic meter in 2017 to 196 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021.
