National Clean Air Programme: 5 years on, Varanasi witnesses 72% reduction in PM2.5 levels, Mumbai an uptick of 38%

In 2023, Delhi recorded the highest PM2.5 levels of 102 µg/m³, a decrease of 2.5 per cent compared to 2022, while Patna exhibited the highest PM10 levels in 2023 at 212.1 µg/m³, an increase of 10.7 percent compared to 2022.

Mumbai: India’s spiritual town of Varanasi located in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of North India has exhibited the most significant decrease in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ levels. 

Varanasi, the city known for inflow of tourists and pilgrims,  shows a 72 per centreduction in PM_2.5 (from 96 ug/m³ to 26.9 ug/m³) and a 69 per cent reduction in PM₁₀ (from 202.5 ug/m³ to 62.4 ug/m³).

The result was an analysis which was conducted by Climate Trends and Respirer Living Sciences using data from the CPCB’s network of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) in 131 non-attainment cities.

The analysis coincides with the five years of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), India’s flagship air quality management initiative, which was launched on 10 January, 2019.

In 2023, Delhi recorded the highest PM_2.5 levels of 102 µg/m³, a decrease of 2.5 per cent compared to 2022.

Patna exhibited the highest PM₁₀ levels in 2023 at 212.1 µg/m³, an increase of 10.7 percent compared to 2022.

Silchar recorded  the lowest PM_2.5 level in 2023 at 9.6 µg/m³. However, it remains noteworthy that this seemingly low level is nearly double the WHO's stipulated safe limit of 5  µg/m³. Silchar also recorded the lowest PM₁₀ level at 29.2 µg/m³; however, this seemingly moderate value is nearly double the WHO safe limit of 15 µg/m³.

“The National Clean Air Programme has made noteworthy progress in tackling air pollution, witnessing notable reductions in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ levels in top polluted cities, showing there have been efforts underway. Despite these positive strides, persistent challenges exist, with some urban areas facing an uptick in pollution concentrations. The program's revised goal of a 40 per cent reduction in particulate matter by 2026 reflects a commitment to ambitious environmental targets. As cities add new air quality monitoring stations, strengthened monitoring will give a better picture of the problem and allow for better mitigation measures,” said Aarti Khosla, Director, Climate Trends.

Overall, Delhi, equipped with the highest number of government air quality monitoring stations (37) among Indian cities, witnessed a modest 5.9 per cent decline in PM2.5 levels from 2019 to 2023.

Reductions in PM2.5 levels were observed in other cities like Bengaluru (2 per cent), Hyderabad (7 per cent), Kolkata (16.9 per cent), Patna (25.2 per cent), Chennai (33.4 per cent) and Lucknow (41.2 per cent). Lucknow exhibited a consistent year-on-year decline. Conversely, Mumbai experienced an increase of 38 per cent in PM2.5 levels, coinciding with a notable expansion in active monitoring stations, from 9 in 2019 to 22 in 2023.