Majority of cities far from clean air target, says study

Majority of cities far from clean air target, says study

Subject :Environment

Section : Pollution

Context:

• The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in India aimed to decrease average particulate matter concentrations by 40% by 2026 in 131 cities.
• However, an analysis showed that out of 49 cities with consistent data over five years, only four cities met or surpassed the targeted decline in PM 2.5 levels.

Details:

• Some major cities like Delhi, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai, and others experienced marginal declines or even rises in pollution levels.
• Cities like Varanasi, Agra, and Jodhpur (50%) demonstrated significant reductions in PM 2.5 levels, showcasing positive progress.
• Uttar Pradesh cities such as Kanpur (50%), Meerut (42%), and Lucknow (41%) also saw substantial reductions. Yet, concerns persist as nearly 18 of the top 20 polluted cities for PM 2.5 are concentrated in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), with Delhi and other northern/eastern cities peaking during winter due to adverse meteorological conditions. Only Guwahati and Rourkela, outside the IGP, were among the 20 most polluted cities for PM 2.5
• The concentration of continuous ambient air quality monitors varies widely among cities, with only a few cities possessing a sufficient number.
• Geographical locations,emission sources, and meteorological influences significantly impact pollution levels, necessitating further study to understand their contributions.
• Despite positive strides in reducing pollution, challenges remain.
• The NCAP’s revised goal underscores a commitment to ambitious environmental targets, with the addition of new air quality monitoring stations expected to provide a clearer understanding of the problem and aid in better mitigation measures.

About NCAP:

• Launched by the MoEFCC in January 2019 as a long-term, time-bound, national-level strategy that features:
  • Making determined efforts to deal with the air pollution problem across the country in a comprehensive manner.
  • Achieving 20% to 30% reduction target in Particulate Matter concentrations by 2024 where 2017 is kept as the base year for the comparison of concentration.
• Identification of 122 non-attainment cities (presently 131 non-attainment cities) across the country based on the 2014-2018 Air Quality data.
• Non- Attainment Cities are the cities which do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
• Preparation of the city-specific action plans including measures to strengthen the monitoring network, reduce vehicular/industrial emissions, increase public awareness etc.
• Implementation of the city-specific action plans to be regularly monitored by Committees at Central and State level namely Steering Committee, Monitoring Committee and Implementation Committee.
• Facilitating collaborative, multi-scale and cross-sectoral coordination between the relevant central ministries, state governments and local bodies.
• Establishing the right mix with the existing policies and programmes which include the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and other government initiatives related to climate change.
• Constant change, activity and progress evolved based on the additional scientific and technical information as they emerged.
• Increasing the number of monitoring stations in the country including rural monitoring stations, and technology support.
• Emphasis on awareness and capacity-building initiatives.
• Setting up certification agencies for monitoring equipment, source apportionment studies, emphasis on enforcement, specific sectoral interventions etc.
• The NCAP tracker is a joint project of the Carbon Copy portal and Maharashtra-based Respirer Living Sciences.
• Objective:
  • To augment and evolve effective and proficient ambient air quality monitoring networks across the country.
  • To have efficient data dissemination and public outreach mechanisms for timely measures for prevention and mitigation of air pollution.
  • To have a feasible management plan for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution.