Maharashtra’s slow steps towards clean air; Mumbai including other cities in state report higher pollution levels

Three years into the country’s first National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the progress according to a recent report has been shoddy. The NCAP was launched in 2019 with an intent to improve the country’s air quality. The report on its implementation has been released by researchers at the Centre for Research and on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Amongst major goals, a key objective of the programme was to reduce PM2.5 (particulate matter) levels by 20-30 per cent by 2024 as compared to 2017 levels in 132 cities.

Maharashtra has the most number of cities, including Mumbai, that have experienced air pollution levels exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Out of 25 such cities in the state, only 19 have been included in the NCAP and the local authorities have set emission reduction targets only for two – Amravati and Aurangabad.

“The state government has announced that it will complete the mandatory source-apportionment studies in 19 cities by March 202, just a year ahead of the deadline,” said Sunil Dahiya, author of the report, ‘Tracing the Hazy Air: Progress Report on NCAP’ and an analyst at CREA. He added, “The studies were started in 2017 and were expected to be completed by 2019. Such a delay is wastage of public money and resources and would delay the directed sector-specific actions.”

“NCAP and Clean Air Action Plans for Cities were dynamic documents which were expected to be updated and made more efficient in controlling the rising air pollution levels with completion of research studies. But, sadly, all timelines for the formulation of state and regional level action plans have passed, and the satte has not formulated any of them till now,” said Dahiya.