Taking a step closer to a green India, 95 per cent of the 132 polluted Indian cities, identified under a national programme for clean air, showed improvement in their air quality by reducing particulate matter (PM10) concentration in 2021-22.
Among the cities, Varanasi recorded 53 per cent reduction—the highest—in the level of dangerous pollutants during this period, claimed the government analysis.
Besides Varanasi, other cities that showed improvement included Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Pune, Nagpur, and Chandigarh.
However, a green think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) flagged the limitations of such a city-based approach, reported The Times of India.
An analysis by CSE showed there was barely any difference in overall PM2.5 trends between cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and those outside its ambit.
The study, assessed by the TOI, also found that 20 of the 95 cities, including Chennai, Madurai, Nashik and Chittur had even conformed to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), that put an acceptable annual average limit of PM10 at 60 micrograms per cubic meter.
This analysis only studied the level of PM10, and not the more hazardous particulate matter in the air: PM2.5. For the sake of uniformity, only PM10 was monitored in all 132 cities.
The other particulate matter, PM2.5, refers to fine particles which penetrate deep into the body and fuel inflammation in the lungs and respiratory tract, leading to risks of cardiovascular and respiratory problems, including a weak immune system.
Even though some cities had been showing improvement in PM10 levels, another report by Greenpeace India stated that over 99 per cent of India’s population was breathing air containing PM2.5 that exceeded the World Health Organisation’s health-based guidelines.
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