21 cities reduce PM10 pollution by over 40%; 18 meet ‘National Standards’: CPCB

New Delhi: Ninety-five of the 131 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme have made rapid progress in improving their air quality; 21 cities were able to reduce PM10 pollution by more than 40 per cent in comparison to 2017-18 levels, as per the data shared by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The CPCB revealed that only 18 of the 131 cities adhered to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM10, set at 60 micrograms per cubic metre.

The 21 cities have been able to achieve over 40% reduction in PM10 pollution. The following are their names: Varanasi, Dhanbad, Byrnihat, Bareilly, Firozabad, Dehradun, Tuticorin, Nalagarh, Moradabad, Khurja, Trichy, Kohima, Lucknow, Kanpur, Kadapa, Sivasagar, Sunder Nagar, Agra, Greater Mumbai, Rishikesh, and Parwanoo.

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Fourteen cities, including Ahmedabad, Ghaziabad, Rajkot, Jalandhar, Raebareli, Amritsar, Kolkata, Jammu, Silchar, Vijayawada, Naya Nangal, Dimapur, Baddi, and Jodhpur, have successfully reduced PM10 pollution by 30-40%.

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched in the country in 2019, with a target to cut particulate pollution by 20–30% by 2024, with 2017 as the base year. Later, the target was revised to reduce the pollution by 40% by 2026, using 2019-20 as the base year. At present, only PM10 levels are being considered for the performance assessment of pollution levels.

The Union Environment Ministry presented the National Clean Air City Awards during the Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024, held at a workshop celebrating the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies in Jaipur. Surat, Jabalpur, and Agra secured the top three positions among cities with populations of more than 10 lakh. Firozabad, Amravati and Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) were praised for their efforts in reducing the pollution levels.