Top polluted cities in the India
By CCN News | Published: Feb 8, 2024
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Air Quality Management and Pollution Control Measures.
Each year, the Ministry assesses the performance of 131 cities/Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) under the "Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan" based on the National Clean Air Program's (NCAP) framework. This assessment evaluates measures taken to mitigate pollution from solid waste, control road dust, manage construction and demolition waste, curb vehicular and industrial emissions, and enhance PM10 concentrations.
Ambient Air Quality monitoring spans 518 cities/towns across India, with details of the highest PM10 levels recorded in 2022 provided in Annexure-I.
In an effort to combat air pollution in Delhi/NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), established in 2021, formulated a comprehensive policy in July 2022. This policy outlines sector-specific actions, quantified targets, timelines, and implementation plans for agencies across NCR States. It addresses vehicular and industrial emissions, dust from construction and demolition projects, biomass and agricultural stubble burning, municipal solid waste incineration, landfill fires, and dispersed sources of air pollution.
To date, CAQM has issued 78 directions, 11 advisories, and executive orders to various agencies in NCR, including state governments of Punjab, Delhi, and central and state government bodies in the region. These efforts have led to overall improvements in the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels in the region.
The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) imposes emergent preventive/restrictive measures based on AQI levels to mitigate air pollution during adverse climatic conditions in Delhi, especially in winter.
Details of Central Government actions for air quality management and pollution control in Delhi/NCR are enclosed in Annexure-II.
To address air pollution from crop residue burning in Delhi/NCR and Punjab, the Ministry introduced the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (Imposition, Collection, and Utilization of Environmental Compensation for Stubble Burning) Rules, 2023. These rules impose environmental compensation for stubble burning incidents, with Punjab and Haryana reporting enforcement actions and imposing Rs. 2.51 crore and Rs. 0.46 crore in environmental compensation, respectively.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare launched a scheme in 2018 to promote agricultural mechanization for in-situ crop residue management in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. This initiative has disbursed Rs. 2440.07 crores to procure over 2 lakh crop residue management machines and establish over 39,000 custom hiring centers (CHCs) until 2022. The scheme has now merged with the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
The Central Government collaborates closely with Delhi and NCR states to implement schemes aimed at halting crop residue burning, with regular meetings of the Committee of Secretaries chaired by the Cabinet Secretary to review progress on Air Quality Management in Delhi & NCR.
CAQM directed state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi to prepare detailed action plans based on its framework to control and eliminate crop residue burning. Subsequent directives were issued to enforce these revised action plans rigorously.
The ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has developed the Pusa Decomposer, a microbial consortium for accelerated in-situ decomposition of stubble/parali, implemented in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab.
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