Under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP), the study of sources of air pollution has been completed for Delhi, Ghaziabad, Alwar and Noida while progress is being made for Meerut and Faridabad, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change was informed.
Source apportionment study data for Delhi, Ghaziabad, Alwar and Noida show that dust from various sources contributed significantly to particulate matter 10 (PM10) pollution. PM10 particles are easily inhaled through the nose and are 10 micrometers or smaller in diameter.
Senior officials from India’s Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) briefed members of the House panel on the study during a presentation on Wednesday. The officials made presentations on steps taken by various government agencies to curb air and water pollution with special focus on controlling air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
MoEF informed the House panel that out of 131 cities, 97 cities have shown gradual improvement in air quality compared to FY 2017-18 baselines based on annual PM10 concentrations by FY 2023-24, sources said.
On the issue of stubble burning under the Supreme Court’s watch, the panel members reported an 84 percent reduction in stubble burning incidents in Punjab between 2021 and 2024. In 2021, 71,304 straw burning incidents were recorded in Punjab. And till November 30 this year, the state recorded 10,909 cases.
The ministry presented a brief description of the ongoing plans of various government departments for air pollution control. Ministry officials informed the panel members that the major sources of pollution are vehicular pollution, dust, stubble burning in winter and meteorological factors such as dry air and wind.
The House panel was also informed that a fund of Rs 42.69 crore was released to Delhi between the financial years 2021-22 and 2023-24 under the Environment Ministry’s flagship National Clean Air Program (NCAP). Out of which 31.76 percent has been used. For Noida, Rs 30.89 crore was released during the same period and only 11.13 per cent of the fund has been utilised.
The NCAP was launched in 2019 in 131 cities to reduce the concentration of PM10 pollution by 20-30 percent by 2024 compared to the base year of 2017. The target has been revised to reduce to 40 percent or achieve PM10 national standards. (60 micrograms/cubic meter) by 2025-26.