Between 2019 and 2024, many Indian cities have made progress in reducing PM2.5 air pollution. Cities in the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) saw a 24% reduction on average.
Here's a simplified explanation:
What is PM2.5? Tiny particles in the air that can be harmful to human health.
What did the report find?
Indian cities saw an average PM2.5 reduction of 27% between 2019 and 2024.
NCAP cities specifically saw a 24% decline.
Some cities made much more progress than others.
Which cities performed best?
Varanasi had the biggest improvement (76% reduction).
Other cities with significant reductions: Moradabad (58%), Kalaburagi (57.2%), Meerut (57.1%), and Katni (56.3%).
Which cities still have high pollution levels?
Delhi (107 µg/m³).
Byrnihat (127.3 µg/m³ - the highest).
Gurugram (96.7 µg/m³).
Faridabad (87.1 µg/m³).
What is the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)? A government program launched in 2019 to reduce air pollution.
What were the NCAP's original and revised targets?
Original target: Reduce pollution by 20-30% by 2024 (using 2017 as a starting point).
Revised target: Reduce pollution by 40% by 2026.
What are the challenges to improving air quality?
Not enough air quality monitoring in smaller cities.
Pollution from factories and vehicles.
Seasonal issues like stubble burning (burning leftover crops after harvest), which is especially bad in northern India.
Key Terms/Cities:
NCAP: National Clean Air Programme.
Varanasi: City with the largest PM2.5 reduction (76%).
Moradabad: City with a 58% reduction.
Byrnihat: City with the highest PM2.5 levels (127.3 µg/m³).
Kalaburagi: City with a 57.2% reduction.
What needs to happen in the future?
More effort is needed to meet the NCAP targets.
Urgent action is needed in highly polluted cities like Delhi, Gurugram, and Faridabad.
Better enforcement of regulations.
New and innovative solutions.
Public awareness campaigns.
Cleaner technologies.
More air quality monitoring.
In simple terms: Many Indian cities have made good progress in reducing air pollution, but some cities still have very high levels. The government has programs in place to tackle this issue, but more needs to be done, especially in the most polluted cities. More monitoring, stricter rules, and new technologies are needed to continue improving air quality.