21 Indian cities reduce PM10 levels; few meet safe limits

NEW DELHI: According to data compiled by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, 21 cities, including Greater Mumbai, Varanasi, Agra, Lucknow, Kanpur, Dehradun, Dhanbad, Trichy, and Tuticorin, have successfully reduced the concentration of the critical air pollutant PM10 by over 40 per cent in 2023-24 compared to 2017-18 levels.

Although these cities have met the target of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) two years ahead of schedule, many, such as Greater Mumbai, Varanasi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Dehradun, still fall short of meeting the national standard for air quality. The acceptable limit, as per the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), is an annual average PM10 concentration of 60 micrograms per cubic metre. For example, Greater Mumbai reduced PM10 levels by approximately 42 per cent—from 161 micrograms per cubic metre in 2017-18 to 94 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023-24—yet the city remains categorised as polluted since it has not met the NAAQS.

On the positive side, cities like Trichy and Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, along with Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh, have not only achieved over a 40 per cent reduction in PM10 levels but also meet the NAAQS, qualifying them as “clean cities.”

Launched in 2019, the NCAP aimed to reduce PM10 levels by 40 per cent by 2025-26, using 2017-18 as the baseline. Overall, 95 out of 131 identified polluting cities have shown improvement in PM10 levels, with 18 of them now meeting the acceptable national standard. PM10 particles are small enough to enter the lungs through inhalation, posing serious health risks.