New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS) Just over a hundred out of 130 cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) have shown a reduction in PM10 levels in 2024-25, the Parliament was informed on Monday.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Kirti Vardhan Singh, shared that a total of 103 cities out of the 130 showed an improvement in the levels of PM10, one of the key pollutants, in 2024-25 compared to 2017-18.

Of these, 22 cities have PM10 concentrations less than 60 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3).

“The focused actions by 130 cities under NCAP have shown positive results with 103 cities showing a reduction in PM10 concentration in 2024-25 with respect to 2017-18, out of which 64 cities have shown reduction in PM10 levels by more than 20 per cent and 25 of these cities have achieved a reduction of more than 40 per cent,” Singh said.

“A total of 22 cities have met National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and have PM10 Concentrations less than 60 µg/m3,” he added.

Notably, PM 10 levels in Delhi improved from 241 µg/m3 (in 2017-18) to 203 µg/m3 (2024-25).

Other cities that showed improvement include Greater Mumbai (161 µg/m3 vs 90 µg/m3); Kolkata (147 µg/m3 vs 92 µg/m3); Ahmedabad (164 µg/m3 vs 103 µg/m3); Hyderabad 110 µg/m3 vs 81 µg/m3); and Bengaluru (92 µg/m3 vs 68 µg/m3).

NCAP was launched by the MoEFCC in January 2019 to improve air quality in 130 cities in 24 States/ UTs of the country through the implementation of National, State, and city-level clean air action plans.

City-specific clean air action plans have been prepared by all 130 cities to implement air quality improvement measures in their respective cities.

These plans target air pollution sources like soil and road dust, vehicular emissions, waste burning, construction and demolition activities, and industrial pollution.

“Performance-linked grant of Rs 13,415.43 crore has been provided to 130 cities as a critical gap funding to implement air pollution mitigation measures, during 2019-20 till date,” Singh said.

Air quality monitoring is conducted at 836 stations in 130 cities under NCAP. CPCB carries out the annual performance assessment of all 130 cities under NCAP.

–IANS

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