Context:

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) recently completed five years. 

National Clean Air Programme (NCAP): Insights from Respirer Living Sciences and Climate Trends

• An analysis of the “Five Years of the National Clean Air Programme” report published by Respirer Living Sciences, a climate-tech startup, and Climate Trends, an environmental consulting group.

Five Years of National Clean Air Programme: A Stark Reality Check and Call for Stringent Actions

• Attainment of 2024 Targets: According to the report, most major cities in the country are way behind the 2024 benchmark, and most cities are unlikely to meet the 40 percent reduction target by 2026.

• • Non-attainment cities as well as the peri-urban areas and villages are now found to be highly polluted.
  • Air Pollution Levels: In most cities, they are higher than the NAAQS of 40 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) and 60 µg/m3 for PM2.5 (ultrafine particles) and PM10, respectively.
• Out of 93 cities with PM10 data for 2023, only seven (less than 10 percent) met the national standard of 60 µg/m3. Meanwhile, 32 cities met the national standard for PM2.5 at 40 µg/m3.
• Reduction in PM10 Levels: Among the 46 cities monitored over the years, the PM10 levels have worsened in 22 cities over the last five years. 
  • Only 8 cities have successfully achieved the initial target of reducing pollution levels by 20 to 30 percent.
• Worst Performer in PM10 Levels: Durgapur in West Bengal has been the poorest performing city.
• • Its PM10 level surged above 53 percent during 2019-24  from 77.2 µg/m3 in 2019 to 118.2 µg/m3 in 2023.
  • It was followed by four Maharashtra cities: Thane, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Aurangabad. 
• Maximum Improvement in PM2.5 Levels:  Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh has shown significant improvement, witnessing a 63 percent reduction in PM10 concentration in 2023 compared to 2019.  
  • Talcher follows it in Odisha.
• Worst PM2.5 Levels: Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra exhibited the most deteriorated air quality for PM2.5, experiencing an increase of about 47 percent, closely followed by Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. 
• Performance of Metropolis: Mumbai was the worst-performing metropolis, with its PM10 level increasing by 37 percent in the last five years.
• Fund Utilisation: The cities could not decrease pollution levels despite the disbursal of Rs 9,650 crore to control air pollution across 131 non-attainment cities. 
  • Out of total funds, only 60 percent (Rs 5,835 crore) have been utilized by the cities.
• Relation Between Fund Utilisation and Pollution Reduction: Numerous cities have worsened or shown only marginal improvement over the last five years, despite receiving substantial financial allocations.
• Despite receiving Rs 939 crore between 2019 and 2023 and utilizing Rs 680 crore, the pollution level of Mumbai continues to rise. 
• In contrast, Delhi and Bengaluru, despite receiving meager funds from the National Clean Air Programme to combat air pollution, managed to make some progress.
• Need for Stringent Actions: More stringent actions to suppress dust emissions are needed, along with steps to minimize biomass burning, solid fuel burning (especially low-grade coal) and solid waste burning, which would reduce particulates, especially the finer particles (PM2.5).

News Source: DTE