• Urban Lab

Cse Report On Blue Sky Day: Pm 2.5 Pollution Remains Same Even After Participating In Clean Program

CSE Report: There is no significant difference in PM 2.5 pollution level of cities included in National Clean Air Program (NCAP) and excluded from it. This has been disclosed by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) by releasing a new report on Blue Sky Day. Under the NCAP, a target has been set to reduce the level of PM 2.5 by 20 percent and the level of PM 10 by 30 percent in the country by 2024 as compared to 2017. PM 2.5 are pollutants that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in size. They cause serious harm by entering our body with the breath. Encap : 132 cities, fund is also available By 2020-21, the government also gives funds to reduce the pollution of PM 10 by more than 15% and clean air for 200 days. According to the report, out of 132 such cities, only 63 cities are under surveillance. 10% reduction in PM 2.5 in only 14 cities Less than 5% drop in pollution in Delhi and Ghaziabad. In Khanna, Jaipur and Udaipur there was an increase of up to 20%. Cities with highest pollution growth in Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Biggest improvement in Varanasi, Chennai. Non-encap: Monitoring in only 10% There are 4,041 cities in the country. Of these, only 400 have PM10 monitoring systems under the National Air Quality Monitoring Program and Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station. PM 2.5 levels rose sharply in 15 cities. Ankleshwar in Gujarat has the highest growth of 34%. More than 20% growth in Satna, Bahadurgarh, Bathinda. Pollution increased in cities of Haryana, MP and Gujarat. Haryana’s Palwal also showed maximum improvement of 60%.

• Urban Lab

Is India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) working?

Is India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) working? New CSE analysis says NCAP and non-NCAP cities are showing similar trends in PM2.5 levels A new analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), released here today on the eve of the UN International Day of Clean Air for Blue Sky, says there is barely any difference in overall PM2.5 (particulate matter 2.5) trends between cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and those outside its ambit. The analysis says that both groups of cities reflect similar mixed trends in air quality in different climatic zones, and this means they require substantial reduction in particulate pollution levels to be able to meet the national ambient air quality standards. The NCAP has set a national level target of 20-30 per cent reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 2024 from the 2017 base year. But a latest performance assessment of NCAP cities by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for disbursement of performance-linked funds has considered only PM10 data that is largely coarse dust particles. As the monitoring of PM2.5 — the tinier particles that are much more harmful — is limited, a uniform assessment of cities based on PM2.5 reduction has not been considered for performance assessment. CSE has carried out a national analysis of PM2.5 levels in cities for which data is available to understand the trend in both NCAP and non-NCAP cities, and the level of reduction needed in both the groups of cities to meet the national clean air standards. This has also exposed the status of air quality monitoring in terms of manual and real time monitoring, extent of PM10 and PM2.5 monitoring in cities, and challenges of data quality to construct and verify a longer term air quality trend. “While it is encouraging that funding of clean air action is linked to performance and the cities’ ability to demonstrate improvement in air quality, dependence on only manual monitoring of PM10 evidently creates a bias in spending as it shifts focus more towards dust control and detracts attention from composite action on industry, vehicles, waste and solid fuel burning,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE. “The expanding monitoring network of PM2.5 and key gases needs to be leveraged quickly to prioritise multi-pollutant action for more effective reduction of risk across all regions,” she adds. The NCAP covers 132 cities — 82 of these have been funded by the Programme, while 50 cities have received funds from the 15th Finance Commission; Rs 6,425 crore has been released till 2021-22 and Rs 2,299 crore has been earmarked for 2022-23. Cities are required to quantify improvement starting 2020-21 – this requires 15 per cent and more reduction in the annual average PM10 concentration and a concurrent increase in good air days to more than 200. Anything less than that will be considered low and reduce the funding. “As the system is becoming more performance oriented and real time air quality monitoring is expanding, it is necessary to develop and define robust protocols and methods for quality control of real time data and ensure adoption of standardised methods for data processing, analytics, addressing data gaps and data completeness and to construct a reliable trend to verify performance and compliance with the national air quality target,” says Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. Methodology: This analysis has included 332 real time monitoring stations active in 2021 in India, spread across 172 cities in 27 states and Union territories. It has relied on data that is publicly available on the CPCB website. However, the minutes of the 5th meeting of the steering committee of NCAP dated July 29, 2022 have listed more stations. Accordingly, there are currently 882 manual stations in 378 cities and 361 CAAQM (continuous ambient air quality monitoring) stations in 192 cities. This analysis is focused only on PM2.5 data, sourced from the CPCB’s real time data portal in its most granular format; the data has been further cleaned and processed, and 24-hour values calculated for each station based on the USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) methodology. The annual average has been calculated as a mean of quarterly averages as per the USEPA methodology, but given the issues of data quality the requirement of data completeness has been slightly modified to enable inclusion of a large pool of cities. The USEPA, for instance, requires each quarter to have data for a minimum 75 per cent of the monitoring days . Key highlights Only 10 per cent of statutory/census towns have air quality monitoring: According to the 2011 census, India has 4,041 statutory towns and 3,894 census towns. Between the national air quality monitoring programme (NAMP, manual) and the CAAQMS (real time), only 400 cities/towns have PM10 quality monitoring. Out of these, 213 (51 per cent) have only manual monitoring, 90 (21 per cent) have only real time monitoring, and 97 cities/towns (23 per cent) have both. There are 22 cities/towns (5 per cent) that have manual stations but have not reported any data since 2015 and can be considered defunct. These cities together account for 1,176 PM10 monitoring stations (804 manual stations and 372 real time stations). PM2.5 monitoring is limited compared to PM10: Between the NAMP and CAAQMS, only 256 cities/towns are covered by PM2.5 monitoring. Out of these, 74 (29 per cent) have only manual monitoring, 131 (51 per cent) have only real time monitoring, and 51 (20 per cent) have both. These cities together account for 660 PM2.5 monitoring stations (315 manual stations and 345 real time stations). The performance assessment of NCAP cities is done only on the basis of PM10 monitoring is because the network of PM10 monitoring is more extensive than that of PM2.5. PM2.5 monitoring needs to be expanded and considered for performance monitoring for better prioritisation. Only about half of NCAP cities have real time monitoring: In 2019, only 51 out 132 NCAP cities had real time monitoring stations. The number grew to 63 in 2021; six more NCAP cities have installed real time monitors in 2022 so far. Almost a quarter of NCAP cities with real time monitoring do not meet minimum data completeness requirement: In 2021, 15 out of the 63 NCAP cities (24 per cent) did not meet the minimum data completeness requirement (60 days of valid 24-hour values in each quarter of the year). In 2019, the number was lower: only 16 per cent did not meet the requirement. Performance of NCAP cities on PM2.5 levels (2019-21): Only 43 NCAP cities have adequate PM2.5 data for the period 2019-2021 – enough to create a reasonable trend for tracking progress. However, it may be noted that 2020 has been an exceptional year due to the lockdown phases and is an aberration. Nearly all cities have recorded a dip in 2020 followed by a subsequent increase in 2021. Therefore, a comparison between 2019 and 2021 shows that only 14 of the 43 cities have registered a 10 per cent or more reduction in their PM2.5 level between the two years. Seven cities show negligible (less than 5 per cent) change: these include Delhi and Ghaziabad. There are 16 cities that have registered a significant increase (5 per cent or more) in their PM2.5 levels — Khanna, Jaipur, and Udaipur have registered the most deterioration with their 2021 annual value increasing by over 20 per cent compared to the 2019 annual value. Faridabad with 6 per cent increase is only NCR NCAP city in this pool of cities with a significant worsening of air quality. It is also the only city outside the non-attainment list. Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra cities dominate the list of cities which have registered a significant increase in PM2.5 levels between 2019 and 2021. Chennai, Varanasi and Pune show the most improvement among NCAP cities. But unlike cities with increasing pollution level which have a very clear regional pattern, there is no regional pattern seen among cities reporting significant improvement in their air quality. Performance of non-NCAP cities: There are 46 cities that are not covered under NCAP, but have adequate real time data for both 2019 and 2021. In this group, 15 cities have registered a significant worsening of annual PM2.5 levels between 2019 and 2021. Ankleshwar in Gujarat with 34 per cent increase in annual PM2.5 value is the worst performer in the pool, followed by Satna (Madhya Pradesh), Vatva (Gujarat), Bahadurgarh (Haryana), and Bhatinda (Punjab); all of which have registered an over 20 per cent increase. Ten cities registered negligible change (less than 5 per cent) in their annual values; 21 recorded significant improvement, with a 5 per cent or more decline between 2019 and 2021. Cities of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat dominate the list of non-NCAP cities that have registered significant increase in air pollution levels between 2019 and 2020. Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh and Siliguri in West Bengal are only cities from other regions in the group. Interestingly, most of these cities are outside the NCR. Palwal in southern Haryana with a 60 per cent improvement in its annual PM2.5 level is the best performer among non-NCAP cities. In fact, NCR cities dominate the list of most improved non-NCAP cities. Most change (positive or negative) is noted among north Indian cities. Cities within NCR show improvement, while cities outside indicate worsening levels. Performance of NCAP vs non-NCAP cities: Data is adequate to construct PM2.5 trends for 43 NCAP cities and 46 non-NCAP cities for 2019-21. The non-NCAP cities can be treated as a control group to see how the NCAP funding has improved air quality performance of cities. This is a simplistic non-standardised assessment and should not be treated as a conclusive assessment of NCAP, as air pollution has a regional character and many non-NCAP cities are located within the influence zone of NCAP cities which are generally much bigger with asymmetrical impact on the regional air quality baseline. Says Somvanshi: “Having said that, there is hardly any difference between the performance of NCAP and non-NCAP cities between 2019 and 2021.” There are 16 NCAP cities and 15 non-NCAP cities that registered a significant increase in their annual PM2.5 levels – with near identical numbers. Same goes for cities (20 NCAP and 21 non-NCAP) that registered a significant improvement in their annual PM2.5 levels. NCAP vs non-NCAP cities and the impact of lockdowns: Hard and extended lockdowns in 2020 due to the ongoing pandemic had significant air quality impacts in all the monitored cities. But there is a negligible difference between the impact on NCAP and non-NCAP cities. Both groups of cities recorded nearly 12 per cent reduction in their aggregate 2020 PM2.5 level compared to the previous year. Pollution bounced back with near similar intensity in both the groups in 2021. NCAP cities registered an aggregate 8 per cent increase in their annual PM2.5 levels in 2021 from the low of 2020. Similarly, non-NCAP cities registered a 7 per cent increase. How have mega cities performed: All six mega cities registered drop in their annual PM2.5 levels in 2020, but pollution bounced back everywhere except in Chennai. In Delhi, pollution dropped by 13 per cent in 2020, but it rose by 13 per cent in 2021 nullifying all the gains made by the national capital. In Kolkata, pollution dropped by 22 per cent in 2020 and rose by 16 per cent in 2021. Mumbai, with a 48 per cent increase in 2021, saw the most negative impact of unlocking of the economy after the lockdowns. Hyderabad had the least variation in its annual levels across the three years. Bengaluru air improved by 21 per cent in 2020 and with just 8 per cent increase in 2021, the southern metropolis has retained most of its gains. Chennai saw a 29 per cent drop in its PM2.5 level in 2020 and it has dropped by another 23 per cent in 2021, making it the least polluted mega city in the country. Status of national air quality: There is an equal number (39) of NCAP and non-NCAP cities that did not meet the annual PM2.5 standard in 2021. The CPCB classifies cities that have their annual average higher than 1.5 times the annual standard as critically polluted. In 2021, 20 NCAP cities and 24 non-NCAP cities qualified as critically polluted – this means there are more critically polluted cities that are not covered by NCAP than there under the programme. Nine NCAP cities met the annual NAAQS in 2021. These are Chennai, Hubballi, Bengaluru, Rajamahendravaran, Mumbai, Sagar, Nashik, Dewas and Chandigarh. Cities with multiple stations like Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chandigarh meet the standard based on average value from their trend station/s, but there are stations within the city which reported annual values higher than the standard, implying the pollution is not low throughout these city. Only 16 non-NCAP cities meet the standard — 13 of them are located in south India. Only two cities in the country out of the 103 monitored via the CAAQMS network can be classified as ‘low pollution’ (less than half the annual standard) as per the CPCB matrix. These are Kozhikode in Kerala and Madikeri in Karnataka. Adopt a standardised method for assessing air quality trends for complying with the national ambient air quality standards: India needs to adopt a robust protocol for estimating air quality trends and their compliance with the national ambient air quality standards. It is critical that a city meets the minimum data completeness required to credibly establish its longer term air quality trend vis-à-vis the annual PM2.5 standard. The CPCB currently uses spatial average of all stations in a city to establish its compliance with the standard. But internationally, the practice for establishing compliance with the standard has moved away from spatial averaging. The USEPA requires that all monitoring stations in a city should meet the standard for that city to be deemed compliant with the standard. However, for compliance trend analysis, it uses only a few select stations in the city. Both NCAP and non-NCAP cities need substantial reductions to meet the national ambient air quality standards: It is acknowledged that many cities have added new stations since 2019 and many of these also meet the minimum data completeness requirement — but they have not been included in computation of annual average of the city. Nevertheless, data from these new stations is captured in the maximum and minimum information published in the parenthesis next to the annual level of the city. This is a hybrid approach that uses CPCB´s current practice of spatial averaging for cities with multiple stations, but ensures apple to apple comparison by introducing a trend station concept. It also captures the worst station data in the city allowing comparison vis-à-vis the USEPA methodology. There are 48 NCAP cities and 55 non-NCAP cities that meet the minimum data completeness requirement for computing annual PM2.5 levels for 2021. Only these 103 cities have been analysed by CSE. Northern states: Ghaziabad is the most polluted NCAP city in the north, closely followed by Delhi. There are 16 non-NCAP cities that exceed the regional average compared to eight NCAP cities. There are as many non-NCAP cities as NCAP cities that require over a 50 per cent reduction. Most NCR cities require over 50 per cent reduction from their 2021 PM2.5 level to meet the NAAQS. Western states: Jodhpur is the most polluted NCAP city in the west, followed by Kota and Jaipur. Bhiwadi — though a non-NCAP city — is still the most polluted in the region. Ankleshwar and Vatva in Gujarat are worse than most NCAP cities of the region as well. Six NCAP cities and four non-NCAP cities need reduction of over 25 per cent to meet the annual standard. Eastern states: Patna is the most polluted NCAP city in the east, followed by Muzaffarpur and Durgapur. Hajipur and Siliguri are the most polluted non-NCAP cities. This is the only region where no city, NCAP or non-NCAP, meets the annual standard (see related graph in the detailed analysis). Except Talcher in Odisha and Agartala in Tripura, all cities in the region require over 20 per cent reduction to meet the annual standard. Southern states: Visakhapatnam is the most polluted NCAP city in the south, followed by Hyderabad. All the other cities in the region, NCAP and non-NCAP, meet the annual standard (see related graph in the detailed analysis). Visakhapatnam needs to reduce pollution by 10 per cent and Hyderabad by 3 per cent to meet the standard. NCAP vs non-NCAP cities pollution level: On an average at the national level, there this barely any difference in the pollution levels between NCAP and non-NCAP cities. There is some difference at the regional level, though. In west India, non-NCAP cities on an average are more polluted and these are located inland in the arid and semi-arid sub-region. In the north, non-NCAP cities on an average are marginally more polluted. In the east and south, NCAP cities are on an average significantly more polluted. On an average, cities of east India are the most polluted in the country, while cities in south are the least polluted. The way forward Says Roychowdhury: “It is clear that the current practice of keeping the focus only on selected cities without considering the larger urban and regional landscape can limit the effectiveness of the NCAP programme and resource investment. The current mandate of developing state action plans has to be refined to ensure regional approach is initiated for a wider impact.” “Moreover, the ongoing funding strategy based on performance of cities on air quality improvement requires robust air quality monitoring of all key parameters along with strong data quality control and a standardised protocol for establishing air quality trends, especially for real time data, for reporting compliance with clean air targets,” she adds As the current focus of NCAP is to reduce particulate pollution, immediate strategy is needed to consider PM2.5 data for performance assessment of cities, points out Somvanshi. PM2.5, being smaller, is more harmful as it penetrates deep inside the lungs. The larger share of PM2.5 is emitted by combustion sources including vehicles, industry, power plants, waste and solid fuel burning. Otherwise, the expansion of PM2.5 monitoring as well as real time monitoring will be wasteful if not leveraged for performance assessment. This also needs to be supported by a roadmap to include the gases for targeted mitigation.

• Urban Lab

CSE analysis finds bias towards dust control due to CPCB assessment for funding

PM 10 levels considered for disbursing funds; Barely any difference in PM 2.5 levels between NCAP and non-NCAP cities The national pollution control board’s assessment technique is flawed as it focuses on only PM 10 levels for disbursing of funds, an analysis has found. There is barely any difference in overall particulate matter (PM) 2.5 trends between under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and those outside its ambit, showed non-profit Centre for Science and Environment. Focusing on only PM 10 levels for spending is creating a bias, making dust control the primary focus of clean air action, CSE has found. The analysis was released September 6, the eve of the United Nations International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. PM2.5 are ultrafine particles suspended in the air that have a diameter of 2.5 microns or less, while PM 10 particles have a diameter of 10 microns or less. The NCAP has set a national target of 20-30 per cent reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 2024 from the 2017 base year. Both groups of cities, NCAP and non-NCAP, reflect similar mixed trends in air quality in different climatic zones. This means they require a substantial reduction in particulate pollution levels to meet the national ambient air quality standards, said the analysis. Read more: ‘Air pollution cuts India’s average life expectancy by 5 years’ But the latest performance assessment of NCAP cities by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has considered only PM10 data — largely coarse dust particles — for the disbursement of performance-linked funds. CSE looked at data for 43 NCAP cities and 46 non-NCAP cities for 2019-21 to construct PM2.5 trends. Delhi and Ghaziabad were among the seven NCAP cities that showed less than 5 per cent change in PM 2.5 levels. Faridabad is the only NCR city whose PM 2.5 levels went up from 2019 to 2021. Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra cities registered a significant increase in PM2.5 levels, while Chennai, Varanasi and Pune show the most improvement among NCAP cities. A large number of NCAP and non-NCAP cities need a substantial reduction in PM2.5 levels to meet the national ambient air quality standards in all climatic zones, the analysis found. “While it is encouraging that funding of clean air action is linked to performance and the cities’ ability to demonstrate improvement in air quality, dependence on only manual monitoring of PM10 evidently creates a bias in spending,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE. It shifts focus more towards dust control and detracts attention from composite action on industry, vehicles, waste and solid fuel burning, she added. Read more: Bangladesh PM2.5 levels 7 times higher than WHO limit: Study The NCAP covers 132 cities — 82 have been funded by the programme, while 50 cities have received funds from the 15th Finance Commission. Through 2021-22, Rs 6,425 crore was released, while Rs 2,299 crore has been earmarked for 2022-23. Cities are required to quantify improvement starting 2020-21, which requires 15 per cent and more reduction in the annual average PM10 concentration and a concurrent increase in good air days to more than 200. Anything less than that will be considered low and reduce the funding. The CSE analysis has included 332 real time monitoring stations active in 2021 in India, spread across 172 cities in 27 states and Union territories. It has relied on data that is publicly available on the CPCB website. All six megacities registered a drop in their annual PM2.5 levels in 2020, but pollution bounced back everywhere except in Chennai. In Delhi, pollution dropped by 13 per cent in 2020, but it rose by 13 per cent in 2021, nullifying all the gains made by the national capital. Read more: Indian cities among places with highest rise in exposure to extreme heat: Study In Kolkata, pollution dropped by 22 per cent in 2020 and rose by 16 per cent in 2021. Mumbai, with a 48 per cent increase in 2021, saw the most negative impact of unlocking the economy after the lockdowns. Hyderabad had the least variation in its annual levels across the three years. Bengaluru air improved by 21 per cent in 2020 and with just 8 per cent increase in 2021, the southern metropolis has retained most of its gains. Chennai saw a 29 per cent drop in its PM2.5 level in 2020 and it dropped by another 23 per cent in 2021, making it the least polluted mega city in the country. “It is necessary to develop and define robust protocols and methods for quality control of real time data and ensure adoption of standardised methods for data processing,” said Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.

• Urban Lab

CSE report on Blue Sky Day: PM 2.5… Pollution remains the same even after participating in the clean program

Expansion CSE Report: There is no significant difference in PM 2.5 pollution level of cities included in National Clean Air Program (NCAP) and excluded from it. This has been disclosed by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) by releasing a new report on Blue Sky Day. Under the NCAP, a target has been set to reduce the level of PM 2.5 by 20 percent and the level of PM 10 by 30 percent in the country by 2024 as compared to 2017. PM 2.5 are pollutants that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in size. They cause serious harm by entering our body with the breath. Encap : 132 cities, fund is also available By 2020-21, the government also gives funds to reduce the pollution of PM 10 by more than 15% and clean air for 200 days. According to the report, out of 132 such cities, only 63 cities are under surveillance. 10% reduction in PM 2.5 in only 14 cities Less than 5% drop in pollution in Delhi and Ghaziabad. In Khanna, Jaipur and Udaipur there was an increase of up to 20%. Cities with highest pollution growth in Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Biggest improvement in Varanasi, Chennai. Non-encap: Monitoring in only 10% There are 4,041 cities in the country. Of these, only 400 have PM10 monitoring systems under the National Air Quality Monitoring Program and Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station. PM 2.5 levels rose sharply in 15 cities. Ankleshwar in Gujarat has the highest growth of 34%. More than 20% growth in Satna, Bahadurgarh, Bathinda. Pollution increased in cities of Haryana, MP and Gujarat. Haryana’s Palwal also showed maximum improvement of 60%.

• Urban Lab

CSE report on Blue Sky Day: PM 2.5… Pollution remains the same even after participating in the clean program

Expansion CSE Report: There is no significant difference in PM 2.5 pollution level of cities included in National Clean Air Program (NCAP) and excluded from it. This has been disclosed by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) by releasing a new report on Blue Sky Day. Under the NCAP, a target has been set to reduce the level of PM 2.5 by 20 percent and the level of PM 10 by 30 percent in the country by 2024 as compared to 2017. PM 2.5 are pollutants that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in size. They cause serious harm by entering our body with the breath. Encap : 132 cities, fund is also available By 2020-21, the government also gives funds to reduce the pollution of PM 10 by more than 15% and clean air for 200 days. According to the report, out of 132 such cities, only 63 cities are under surveillance. 10% reduction in PM 2.5 in only 14 cities Less than 5% drop in pollution in Delhi and Ghaziabad. In Khanna, Jaipur and Udaipur there was an increase of up to 20%. Cities with highest pollution growth in Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Biggest improvement in Varanasi, Chennai. Non-encap: Monitoring in only 10% There are 4,041 cities in the country. Of these, only 400 have PM10 monitoring systems under the National Air Quality Monitoring Program and Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station. PM 2.5 levels rose sharply in 15 cities. Ankleshwar in Gujarat has the highest growth of 34%. More than 20% growth in Satna, Bahadurgarh, Bathinda. Pollution increased in cities of Haryana, MP and Gujarat. Haryana’s Palwal also showed maximum improvement of 60%.

• Urban Lab

Of 56 cities in North India, Ghaziabad most polluted; Delhi, Noida, Faridabad next

Of about 56 cities in North India for which data on PM2.5 levels in 2021 were considered in a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Ghaziabad was found to be the most polluted, followed by Delhi, Faridabad and Noida. The annual average PM2.5 level in 2021 in Ghaziabad was found to be 116 µg/m3, while it was 109 µg/m3 in Delhi, 106 µg/m3 in Faridabad, and 101 µg/m3 in Noida. Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida are on the list of ‘non-attainment cities’ that receive funding under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Only seven cities in the NCR region are covered under two central government programs that provide funds to mitigate air pollution. In addition to Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida, Khurja and Alwar are also on the list of non-attainment cities, which are required to reduce air pollution by 20% to 30% by 2024 under the NCAP. Faridabad and Meerut receive funds under the 15th Finance Commission. The CSE analysis notes that only these NCR cities are included in the funding schemes “despite the known fact that at least 26 NCR cities/towns are highly polluted given the data available from official real-time monitoring”. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE, said, “All cities in the NCR that are monitoring, including Gurgaon, Rohtak, Bulandshahr, are not getting funding under NCAP, and these cities have PM2.5 levels that are high and don’t meet the standards. The problem here is that CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) has only used PM10 data from manual monitors (to decide inclusion or exclusion in these funding schemes) and these cities don’t have manual monitors, they only have real-time monitors. Also, manual monitoring is very poorly done in India. It’s a bureaucratic fault because these are highly polluted cities.” Subscriber Only Stories Somvanshi added, “In general we observed, compared to the rest of the country, NCR cities have shown improvement in the last three years, which is despite most of these cities not getting any funding. There is no difference as such in the outcomes of these cities whether they were funded or not funded, which puts a question mark on whether funding is actually helping.” The annual PM2.5 level in Delhi between 2019 and 2021 decreased by just around 1%, going by the analysis, which used data from the CPCB. In 2019, the average annual PM2.5 level was 110 µg/m3. It dropped to 97 µg/m3 in 2020, on account of the lockdowns, according to the study, before climbing back up to 109 µg/m3 in 2021.

• Urban Lab

Cse Report On Blue Sky Day: Pm 2.5 Pollution Remains Same Even After Participating In Clean Program LNU News

Expansion CSE Report: There is no significant difference in PM 2.5 pollution level of cities included in National Clean Air Program (NCAP) and excluded from it. This has been disclosed by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) by releasing a new report on Blue Sky Day. Under the NCAP, a target has been set to reduce the level of PM 2.5 by 20 percent and the level of PM 10 by 30 percent in the country by 2024 as compared to 2017. PM 2.5 are pollutants that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in size. They cause serious harm by entering our body with the breath. Encap : 132 cities, fund is also available By 2020-21, the government also gives funds to reduce the pollution of PM 10 by more than 15% and clean air for 200 days. According to the report, out of 132 such cities, only 63 cities are under surveillance. 10% reduction in PM 2.5 in only 14 cities Less than 5% drop in pollution in Delhi and Ghaziabad. In Khanna, Jaipur and Udaipur there was an increase of up to 20%. Cities with highest pollution growth in Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Biggest improvement in Varanasi, Chennai. Non-encap: Monitoring in only 10% There are 4,041 cities in the country. Of these, only 400 have PM10 monitoring systems under the National Air Quality Monitoring Program and Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station. PM 2.5 levels rose sharply in 15 cities. Ankleshwar in Gujarat has the highest growth of 34%. More than 20% growth in Satna, Bahadurgarh, Bathinda. Pollution increased in cities of Haryana, MP and Gujarat. Haryana’s Palwal also showed maximum improvement of 60%.

• Urban Lab

Of 56 cities in North India, Ghaziabad most polluted; Delhi, Noida, Faridabad next

Of about 56 cities in North India for which data on PM2.5 levels in 2021 were considered in a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Ghaziabad was found to be the most polluted, followed by Delhi, Faridabad and Noida. The annual average PM2.5 level in 2021 in Ghaziabad was found to be 116 µg/m3, while it was 109 µg/m3 in Delhi, 106 µg/m3 in Faridabad, and 101 µg/m3 in Noida. Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida are on the list of ‘non-attainment cities’ that receive funding under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Only seven cities in the NCR region are covered under two central government programs that provide funds to mitigate air pollution. In addition to Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida, Khurja and Alwar are also on the list of non-attainment cities, which are required to reduce air pollution by 20% to 30% by 2024 under the NCAP. Faridabad and Meerut receive funds under the 15th Finance Commission. The CSE analysis notes that only these NCR cities are included in the funding schemes “despite the known fact that at least 26 NCR cities/towns are highly polluted given the data available from official real-time monitoring”. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE, said, “All cities in the NCR that are monitoring, including Gurgaon, Rohtak, Bulandshahr, are not getting funding under NCAP, and these cities have PM2.5 levels that are high and don’t meet the standards. The problem here is that CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) has only used PM10 data from manual monitors (to decide inclusion or exclusion in these funding schemes) and these cities don’t have manual monitors, they only have real-time monitors. Also, manual monitoring is very poorly done in India. It’s a bureaucratic fault because these are highly polluted cities.” Somvanshi added, “In general we observed, compared to the rest of the country, NCR cities have shown improvement in the last three years, which is despite most of these cities not getting any funding. There is no difference as such in the outcomes of these cities whether they were funded or not funded, which puts a question mark on whether funding is actually helping.” The annual PM2.5 level in Delhi between 2019 and 2021 decreased by just around 1%, going by the analysis, which used data from the CPCB. In 2019, the average annual PM2.5 level was 110 µg/m3. It dropped to 97 µg/m3 in 2020, on account of the lockdowns, according to the study, before climbing back up to 109 µg/m3 in 2021.

• Urban Lab

Of 56 cities in North India, Ghaziabad most polluted; Delhi, Noida, Faridabad next

Of about 56 cities in North India for which knowledge on PM2.5 ranges in 2021 have been thought-about in a research by the Centre for Science and Setting (CSE), Ghaziabad was discovered to be essentially the most polluted, adopted by Delhi, Faridabad and Noida. The annual common PM2.5 degree in 2021 in Ghaziabad was discovered to be 116 µg/m3, whereas it was 109 µg/m3 in Delhi, 106 µg/m3 in Faridabad, and 101 µg/m3 in Noida. Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida are on the listing of ‘non-attainment cities’ that obtain funding below the Nationwide Clear Air Programme (NCAP). Solely seven cities within the NCR area are coated below two central authorities applications that present funds to mitigate air air pollution. Along with Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida, Khurja and Alwar are additionally on the listing of non-attainment cities, that are required to scale back air air pollution by 20% to 30% by 2024 below the NCAP. Faridabad and Meerut obtain funds below the fifteenth Finance Fee. The CSE evaluation notes that solely these NCR cities are included within the funding schemes “regardless of the identified proven fact that at the very least 26 NCR cities/cities are extremely polluted given the info accessible from official real-time monitoring”. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme supervisor, City Lab, CSE, stated, “All cities within the NCR which can be monitoring, together with Gurgaon, Rohtak, Bulandshahr, aren’t getting funding below NCAP, and these cities have PM2.5 ranges which can be excessive and don’t meet the requirements. The issue right here is that CPCB (Central Air pollution Management Board) has solely used PM10 knowledge from handbook screens (to determine inclusion or exclusion in these funding schemes) and these cities don’t have handbook screens, they solely have real-time screens. Additionally, handbook monitoring could be very poorly executed in India. It’s a bureaucratic fault as a result of these are extremely polluted cities.” Somvanshi added, “Usually we noticed, in comparison with the remainder of the nation, NCR cities have proven enchancment within the final three years, which is regardless of most of those cities not getting any funding. There isn’t any distinction as such within the outcomes of those cities whether or not they have been funded or not funded, which places a query mark on whether or not funding is definitely serving to.” The annual PM2.5 degree in Delhi between 2019 and 2021 decreased by simply round 1%, going by the evaluation, which used knowledge from the CPCB. In 2019, the common annual PM2.5 degree was 110 µg/m3. It dropped to 97 µg/m3 in 2020, on account of the lockdowns, in line with the research, earlier than climbing again as much as 109 µg/m3 in 2021.

• Urban Lab

एनसीएपी और इसके दायरे से बाहर के शहरों के बीच पीएम2.5 की प्रवृत्तियों में नाममात्र का अंतर: रिपोर्ट

नयी दिल्ली, छह सितंबर (भाषा) सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट (सीएसई) के एक नये विश्लेषण में पता चला है कि राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनसीएपी) के दायरे में आने वाले और इसकी परिधि में नहीं आने वाले शहरों के बीच पीएम2.5 की संपूर्ण प्रवृत्तियों को लेकर नाममात्र का अंतर है। -Advertisement- एनसीएपी राष्ट्रीय स्तर की रणनीति है जिसका मकसद 2024 तक पीएम2.5 और पीएम10 सांद्रता में 20 से 30 प्रतिशत कमी लाना है और इसमें तुलना के लिए आधार वर्ष 2017 होगा। पीएम2.5 ऐसे कण होते हैं जिनका व्यास सामान्य तौर पर ढाई माइक्रोमीटर या छोटा होता है और ये आसानी से शरीर में चले जाते हैं तथा स्वास्थ्य को इनसे बड़ा खतरा होता है। यह कार्यक्रम 132 शहरों में चल रहा है जो राष्ट्रीय वायु गुणवत्ता के निर्दिष्ट मानकों को पूरा नहीं करते। एनसीएपी के तहत शहर-केंद्रित कार्य योजनाएं तैयार की गयी हैं जिनमें वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी नेटवर्क को मजबूत करने, वाहनों तथा उद्योगों से होने वाले उत्सर्जन को कम करने एवं जन जागरुकता बढ़ाने आदि के लिए उपाय शामिल हैं। उपलब्ध आंकड़ों के अनुसार राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र (एनसीआर) में आने वाले शहर सबसे उन्नत गैर-एनसीएपी शहरों की सूची में सबसे ऊपर हैं। उत्तर भारत के शहरों में सर्वाधिक बदलाव (सकारात्मक या नकारात्मक) देखे गये हैं। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, ‘‘राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनसीएपी) के दायरे में आने वाले और इसकी परिधि में नहीं आने वाले शहरों के बीच पीएम2.5 की संपूर्ण प्रवृत्तियों को लेकर नाममात्र का अंतर है।’’ इसमें कहा गया है, ‘‘शहरों के दोनों समूह विभिन्न जलवायु क्षेत्रों में वायु गुणवत्ता में इसी तरह की मिली-जुली प्रवृत्ति दिखाते हैं।’’ सीएसई ने उन शहरों में पीएम2.5 के स्तर का विश्लेषण किया जिसके लिए एनसीएपी के दायरे में आने वाले तथा दायरे में नहीं आने वाले शहरों में प्रवृत्ति को समझाने के लिए आंकड़े उपलब्ध हैं। उसने कहा कि एनसीएपी वाले केवल 43 शहरों में 2019-2021 के लिए पीएम2.5 के पर्याप्त आंकड़े उपलब्ध हैं जो प्रगति पर नजर रखने के लिए यथोचित प्रवृत्ति के लिहाज से काफी हैं।

• Urban Lab

‘Despite central programme, no improvement in air quality of some cities’

There is barely any difference in overall PM2.5 (particulate matter 2.5) trends between cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and those outside its ambit, as per a new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), released on the eve of the UN International Day of Clean Air for Blue Sky. Both groups of cities reflect similar mixed trends in air quality in different climatic zones and require a substantial reduction in particulate pollution levels to be able to meet the national ambient air quality standards. The national analysis was carried out by CSE of PM2.5 levels in cities to understand the trend in both NCAP and non-NCAP cities, and the level of reduction needed in both groups of cities to meet the national clean air standards. The analysis also exposed the status of air quality monitoring in terms of manual and real-time monitoring, the extent of PM10 and PM2.5 monitoring in cities, and the challenges of data quality to construct and verify a longer-term air quality trend. Only 43 NCAP cities have adequate PM2.5 data for the period 2019–2021, enough to create a reasonable trend for tracking progress. However, 2020 has been an exceptional year due to the lockdown phases. Nearly all cities have recorded a dip in 2020 followed by a subsequent increase in 2021. Therefore, a comparison between 2019 and 2021 shows that only 14 of the 43 cities have registered a 10% or more reduction in their PM2.5 level between the two years. Seven cities show negligible change (less than 5%). These include Delhi and Ghaziabad. There are 16 cities that have registered a significant increase (5 % or more) in their PM2.5 levels. Khanna, Jaipur, and Udaipur have registered the most deterioration, with their 2021 annual values increasing by over 20% compared to their 2019 annual values. Faridabad is the only NCR NCAP city in this pool with a significant worsening of air quality, with a 6% increase. Punjab, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra cities dominate the list of cities that have registered a significant increase in PM2.5 levels between 2019 and 2021. Chennai, Varanasi, and Pune show the most improvement among NCAP cities. Unlike cities with increasing pollution levels, which have a very clear regional pattern, there is no regional pattern among cities reporting significant improvement in their air quality. There are 46 cities that are not covered under NCAP. In this group, 15 cities have registered a significant worsening of annual PM2.5 levels between 2019 and 2021. Ankleshwar in Gujarat, with a 34% increase in annual PM2.5 value, is the worst performer in the pool, followed by Satna (Madhya Pradesh), Vatva (Gujarat), Bahadurgarh (Haryana), and Bhatinda (Punjab); all of which have registered a 20 % increase. Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat dominate the list of non-NCAP.

• Urban Lab

एनसीएपी और इसके दायरे से बाहर के शहरों के बीच पीएम2.5 की प्रवृत्तियों में नाममात्र का अंतर: रिपोर्ट

नयी दिल्ली, छह सितंबर (भाषा) सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट (सीएसई) के एक नये विश्लेषण में पता चला है कि राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनसीएपी) के दायरे में आने वाले और इसकी परिधि में नहीं आने वाले शहरों के बीच पीएम2.5 की संपूर्ण प्रवृत्तियों को लेकर नाममात्र का अंतर है। एनसीएपी राष्ट्रीय स्तर की रणनीति है जिसका मकसद 2024 तक पीएम2.5 और पीएम10 सांद्रता में 20 से 30 प्रतिशत कमी लाना है और इसमें तुलना के लिए आधार वर्ष 2017 होगा। पीएम2.5 ऐसे कण होते हैं जिनका व्यास सामान्य तौर पर ढाई माइक्रोमीटर या छोटा होता है और ये आसानी से शरीर में चले जाते हैं तथा स्वास्थ्य को इनसे बड़ा खतरा होता है। यह कार्यक्रम 132 शहरों में चल रहा है जो राष्ट्रीय वायु गुणवत्ता के निर्दिष्ट मानकों को पूरा नहीं करते। एनसीएपी के तहत शहर-केंद्रित कार्य योजनाएं तैयार की गयी हैं जिनमें वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी नेटवर्क को मजबूत करने, वाहनों तथा उद्योगों से होने वाले उत्सर्जन को कम करने एवं जन जागरुकता बढ़ाने आदि के लिए उपाय शामिल हैं। उपलब्ध आंकड़ों के अनुसार राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र (एनसीआर) में आने वाले शहर सबसे उन्नत गैर-एनसीएपी शहरों की सूची में सबसे ऊपर हैं। उत्तर भारत के शहरों में सर्वाधिक बदलाव (सकारात्मक या नकारात्मक) देखे गये हैं। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, ‘‘राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनसीएपी) के दायरे में आने वाले और इसकी परिधि में नहीं आने वाले शहरों के बीच पीएम2.5 की संपूर्ण प्रवृत्तियों को लेकर नाममात्र का अंतर है।’’ इसमें कहा गया है, ‘‘शहरों के दोनों समूह विभिन्न जलवायु क्षेत्रों में वायु गुणवत्ता में इसी तरह की मिली-जुली प्रवृत्ति दिखाते हैं।’’ सीएसई ने उन शहरों में पीएम2.5 के स्तर का विश्लेषण किया जिसके लिए एनसीएपी के दायरे में आने वाले तथा दायरे में नहीं आने वाले शहरों में प्रवृत्ति को समझाने के लिए आंकड़े उपलब्ध हैं। उसने कहा कि एनसीएपी वाले केवल 43 शहरों में 2019-2021 के लिए पीएम2.5 के पर्याप्त आंकड़े उपलब्ध हैं जो प्रगति पर नजर रखने के लिए यथोचित प्रवृत्ति के लिहाज से काफी हैं। कोविड संबंधी लॉकडाउन की वजह से लगभग सभी शहरों में 2020 में पीएम2.5 के स्तर में कमी आई जिसके बाद 2021 में इसमें मामूली बढ़ोतरी हुई।

• Urban Lab

उत्तर भारत के 50 से अधिक शहरों में वायु प्रदूषण की स्थिति खराब, यूपी का गाजियाबाद सर्वाधिक प्रदूषित शहर

नई दिल्ली [संजीव गुप्ता]। सेंटर फार साइंस एंड एन्वायरमेंट (एनसीएपी) ने एक विश्लेषण कर बताया है कि राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनसीएपी) में शामिल शहरों की वायु गुणवत्ता में भी कोई खास सुधार नहीं देखा गया है। सीएसई के मुताबिक एनसीएपी के तहत आने वाले शहरों और इसके दायरे से बाहर के शहरों के बीच समग्र पीएम2.5 रुझानों में बमुश्किल ही कोई अंतर है। जहां दिल्ली की स्थिति में कुछ खास सुधार नहीं है, तो उत्तर प्रदेश का गाजियाबाद शहर सर्वाधिक प्रदूषित शहरों की सूची में है। गौरतलब है कि एनसीएपी राष्ट्रीय स्तर का अभियान है जिसका लक्ष्य 2024 तक पीएम 2.5 और पीएम 10 के स्तर में में 20 से 30 प्रतिशत की कमी करना है। इसमें तुलना के लिए आधार वर्ष 2017 है और इस कार्यक्रम में 132 शहर शामिल हैं जो निर्धारित वायु गुणवत्ता मानकों को पूरा नहीं करते। सीएसई ने शहरों में पीएम 2.5 के स्तर का विश्लेषण किया जिसके लिए एनसीएपी और गैर-एनसीएपी शहरों में प्रवृत्ति को समझने के लिए डेटा उपलब्ध है। 14 शहरों में पीएम 2.5 स्तर में 10 प्रतिशत का इजाफा लाकडाउन चरणों के कारण लगभग सभी शहरों में 2020 में गिरावट दर्ज की गई और उसके बाद 2021 में वृद्धि दर्ज की गई। सीएसई ने कहा कि 2019 और 2021 के बीच तुलना से पता चलता है कि 43 शहरों में से केवल 14 ने अपने पीएम 2.5 स्तर में 10 प्रतिशत या उससे अधिक की कमी दर्ज की है। सात शहर नगण्य (5 प्रतिशत से कम) सुधार दिखाते हैं। इनमें दिल्ली और गाजियाबाद शामिल हैं। पंजाब समेत कई राज्यों के शहरों में पीएम 2.5 के स्तर में वृद्धि सोलह शहरों ने अपने पीएम 2.5 स्तर में उल्लेखनीय वृद्धि (5 प्रतिशत या अधिक) दर्ज की है। खन्ना, जयपुर और उदयपुर में 2021 का वार्षिक मूल्य 2019 के वार्षिक मूल्य की तुलना में 20 प्रतिशत से अधिक बढ़ गया। पंजाब, राजस्थान और महाराष्ट्र के शहर उन शहरों की सूची में हावी हैं, जहां 2019 और 2021 के बीच पीएम 2.5 के स्तर में उल्लेखनीय वृद्धि दर्ज की गई है।

• Urban Lab

Cse Report On Blue Sky Day: Pm 2.5 Pollution Remains Same Even After Participating In Clean Program – ब्लू स्काई डे पर सीएसई की रिपोर्ट : पीएम 2.5… स्वच्छ कार्यक्रम में शामिल होने के बाद भी प्रदूषण जस का तस

CSE Report : राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनकैप) में शामिल और इससे बाहर रखे शहरों के पीएम 2.5 प्रदूषण स्तर में खास फर्क नहीं है। यह खुलासा ब्लू स्काय डे पर नई रिपोर्ट जारी कर सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) ने किया है। एनकैप के तहत देश में 2017 के मुकाबले साल 2024 तक पीएम 2.5 का स्तर 20 प्रतिशत और पीएम 10 का स्तर 30 प्रतिशत घटाने का लक्ष्य रखा गया है। पीएम 2.5 ऐसे प्रदूषण तत्व हैं, जो आकार में 2.5 माइक्रोमीटर से छोटे होते हैं। वे सांस के साथ हमारे शरीर में दाखिल होकर गंभीर नुकसान पहुंचाते हैं। एनकैप : 132 शहर, फंड भी मिलता है 2020-21 तक पीएम 10 का प्रदूषण 15% से ज्यादा घटाने व 200 दिन स्वच्छ हवा पर सरकार फंड भी देती है। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, ऐसे 132 में से 63 शहरों में ही निगरानी हो रही है। सिर्फ 14 शहरों में पीएम 2.5 में 10% कमी दिल्ली व गाजियाबाद में प्रदूषण में 5% से कम गिरावट। खन्ना, जयपुर और उदयपुर में तो 20% तक वृद्धि हुई। पंजाब, राजस्थान और महाराष्ट्र में सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषण वृद्धि वाले शहर। वाराणसी, चेन्नई में सबसे ज्यादा सुधार। गैर-एनकैप : सिर्फ 10% में निगरानी देश में 4,041 शहर हैं। इनमें से 400 में ही राष्ट्रीय वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी कार्यक्रम व सतत परिवेशी वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशन के तहत पीएम 10 की निगरानी व्यवस्था है। 15 शहरों में पीएम 2.5 का स्तर तेजी से बढ़ा। गुजरात के अंकलेश्वर में सबसे ज्यादा 34% वृद्धि। सतना, बहादुरगढ़, बठिंडा में 20% से ज्यादा वृद्धि। हरियाणा, एमपी और गुजरात के शहरों में प्रदूषण बढ़ा। हरियाणा के पलवल में सबसे ज्यादा 60% सुधार भी आया।

• Urban Lab

एनसीएपी और इसके दायरे से बाहर के शहरों के बीच पीएम2.5 की प्रवृत्तियों में नाममात्र का अंतर: रिपोर्ट

Get Latest हिन्दी समाचार, Breaking News on India at LatestLY हिन्दी. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवॉयरमेंट (सीएसई) के एक नये विश्लेषण में पता चला है कि राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनसीएपी) के दायरे में आने वाले और इसकी परिधि में नहीं आने वाले शहरों के बीच पीएम2.5 की संपूर्ण प्रवृत्तियों को लेकर नाममात्र का अंतर है।

• Urban Lab

ब्लू स्काई डे पर सीएसई की रिपोर्ट : पीएम 2.5… स्वच्छ कार्यक्रम में शामिल होने के बाद भी प्रदूषण जस का तस

CSE Report : राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनकैप) में शामिल और इससे बाहर रखे शहरों के पीएम 2.5 प्रदूषण स्तर में खास फर्क नहीं है। यह खुलासा ब्लू स्काय डे पर नई रिपोर्ट जारी कर सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) ने किया है।एनकैप के तहत देश में 2017 के मुकाबले साल 2024 तक पीएम 2.5 का स्तर 20 प्रतिशत और पीएम 10 का स्तर 30 प्रतिशत घटाने का लक्ष्य रखा गया है। पीएम 2.5 ऐसे प्रदूषण तत्व हैं, जो आकार में 2.5 माइक्रोमीटर से छोटे होते हैं। वे सांस के साथ हमारे शरीर में दाखिल होकर गंभीर नुकसान पहुंचाते हैं।एनकैप : 132 शहर, फंड भी मिलता है2020-21 तक पीएम 10 का प्रदूषण 15% से ज्यादा घटाने व 200 दिन स्वच्छ हवा पर सरकार फंड भी देती है। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, ऐसे 132 में से 63 शहरों में ही निगरानी हो रही है।सिर्फ 14 शहरों में पीएम 2.5 में 10% कमी दिल्ली व गाजियाबाद में प्रदूषण में 5% से कम गिरावट। खन्ना, जयपुर और उदयपुर में तो 20% तक वृद्धि हुई। पंजाब, राजस्थान और महाराष्ट्र में सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषण वृद्धि वाले शहर। वाराणसी, चेन्नई में सबसे ज्यादा सुधार। गैर-एनकैप : सिर्फ 10% में निगरानीदेश में 4,041 शहर हैं। इनमें से 400 में ही राष्ट्रीय वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी कार्यक्रम व सतत परिवेशी वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशन के तहत पीएम 10 की निगरानी व्यवस्था है।15 शहरों में पीएम 2.5 का स्तर तेजी से बढ़ा। गुजरात के अंकलेश्वर में सबसे ज्यादा 34% वृद्धि। सतना, बहादुरगढ़, बठिंडा में 20% से ज्यादा वृद्धि। हरियाणा, एमपी और गुजरात के शहरों में प्रदूषण बढ़ा। हरियाणा के पलवल में सबसे ज्यादा 60% सुधार भी आया। यह है एनकैप व गैर-एनकैप 16 एनकैप शहरों और 15 गैर-एनकैप शहरों में पीएम 2.5 की वृद्धि बहुत तेज रही। लॉकडाउन में 2020 में 12% औसत प्रदूषण घटा। लेकिन 2021 में एनकैप शहरों में 8% तो गैर-एनकैप शहरों में 7% प्रदूषण बढ़ गया। एनकैप व गैर-एनकैप दोनों के 39-39 शहरों में प्रदूषण राष्ट्रीय मानकों से अधिक था। इसी तरह दोनों श्रेणियों में सुधार भी क्रमश : 20 और 21 शहरों में हुआ। दिल्ली में 2020 में प्रदूषण 13% घटा था, 2021 में 13% वापस बढ़ गया। उत्तर भारत के हालात एनकैप शहरों में गाजियाबाद सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषित मिला इसके बाद दिल्ली थी। 8 एनकैप और 16 गैर-एनकैप शहरों में प्रदूषण क्षेत्रीय औसत से अधिक मिला।अध्ययन : शिशु में बढ़ा मोटापा व मधुमेह का जोखिमएक चिकित्सीय अध्ययन में पता चला है कि जन्म से छह महीने के बीच वायु प्रदूषण के संपर्क में रहने वाले बच्चों में एलर्जी, मोटापा और मधुमेह का खतरा बढ़ सकता है। यहां तक कि इनमें मस्तिष्क विकास पर भी असर पड़ सकता है। मेडिकल जर्नल गट माइक्रोब्स में प्रकाशित इस अध्ययन में कहा है…शिशु के पेट में मौजूद बैक्टीरिया प्रभावित होने के कारण अन्य जोखिम बढ़ जाते हैं। कोलोराडो बोल्डर विवि के सहायक प्रोफेसर तान्या एल्डरेटे ने बताया, बच्चों में वायु प्रदूषण जोखिम, विकास और महत्वपूर्ण प्रभावों के साथ पेट में मौजूद माइक्रोबायम पर गंभीर असर डालता है। अध्ययन में शोधकर्ताओं ने दक्षिणी कैलिफोर्निया में 103 शिशुओं के मल नमूनाें का विश्लेषण किया था जिसमें उन्होंने पीएम 2.5 और पीएम 10 प्रदूषित कण मिले। नाइट्रोजन डाइऑक्साइड जैसे रासायनिक कण भी शामिल थे। विस्तार CSE Report : राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ वायु कार्यक्रम (एनकैप) में शामिल और इससे बाहर रखे शहरों के पीएम 2.5 प्रदूषण स्तर में खास फर्क नहीं है। यह खुलासा ब्लू स्काय डे पर नई रिपोर्ट जारी कर सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) ने किया है। एनकैप के तहत देश में 2017 के मुकाबले साल 2024 तक पीएम 2.5 का स्तर 20 प्रतिशत और पीएम 10 का स्तर 30 प्रतिशत घटाने का लक्ष्य रखा गया है। पीएम 2.5 ऐसे प्रदूषण तत्व हैं, जो आकार में 2.5 माइक्रोमीटर से छोटे होते हैं। वे सांस के साथ हमारे शरीर में दाखिल होकर गंभीर नुकसान पहुंचाते हैं। एनकैप : 132 शहर, फंड भी मिलता है 2020-21 तक पीएम 10 का प्रदूषण 15% से ज्यादा घटाने व 200 दिन स्वच्छ हवा पर सरकार फंड भी देती है। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, ऐसे 132 में से 63 शहरों में ही निगरानी हो रही है। सिर्फ 14 शहरों में पीएम 2.5 में 10% कमी दिल्ली व गाजियाबाद में प्रदूषण में 5% से कम गिरावट। खन्ना, जयपुर और उदयपुर में तो 20% तक वृद्धि हुई। पंजाब, राजस्थान और महाराष्ट्र में सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषण वृद्धि वाले शहर। वाराणसी, चेन्नई में सबसे ज्यादा सुधार। गैर-एनकैप : सिर्फ 10% में निगरानी देश में 4,041 शहर हैं। इनमें से 400 में ही राष्ट्रीय वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी कार्यक्रम व सतत परिवेशी वायु गुणवत्ता निगरानी स्टेशन के तहत पीएम 10 की निगरानी व्यवस्था है। 15 शहरों में पीएम 2.5 का स्तर तेजी से बढ़ा। गुजरात के अंकलेश्वर में सबसे ज्यादा 34% वृद्धि। सतना, बहादुरगढ़, बठिंडा में 20% से ज्यादा वृद्धि। हरियाणा, एमपी और गुजरात के शहरों में प्रदूषण बढ़ा। हरियाणा के पलवल में सबसे ज्यादा 60% सुधार भी आया।