By Mohit Sharma
A reduction of 40 per cent in PM 10 pollutants has been witnessed in 21 cities, including Varanasi, as per the latest environment ministry data. Particulate Matter (PM 10), a major air pollutant, are particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less which are small enough to pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs and can cause various illnesses.
While reviewing the Clean Air Action Plans being implemented in 131 cities, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that 21 cities have shown a 40 per cent reduction in PM 10 levels as compared to 2017-18 and 51 cities have achieved 20 per cent reduction in the proliferation of harmful pollutant into the air. Major causes of PM 10 are dust from unsealed roads, smoke from fires, sea salt, vehicular exhausts, pollution from industries, incomplete combustion, cooking and chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
In Delhi, where the annual concentrations of PM10 have increased significantly over the last two decades making the national capital the second-most polluted capital city in the world, the reduction in PM 10 levels was between 10 to 20 per cent as per the data revealed by the Centre.
Other cities that fall in this category include Thane, Howrah, Jhansi, Devanagree, Patiala, Jaipur, Alwar, Latur etc. This comes a week after the Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai in a letter to the presidents of Delhi units of the BJP and Congress, requested for “positive suggestions” to help reduce the city’s pollution for incorporation into the Winter Action Plan.
Rai cited a report of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and claimed that only 31 per cent of the pollution in the capital is caused locally while the rest comes from NCR, referring to stubble burning in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Air pollution in Delhi, especially in the months of October-November, has long been a point of contention between the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government and the opposition parties, especially the BJP.
According to the data, the cities that performed better and achieved 40 per cent reduction include Varanasi, Dehradun, Dhanbad, Firozabad, Moradabad, Kohima, Kanpur, Greater Mumbai, Rishikesh, Kadapa etc. The cities that fared worst in terms of achieving the targets include Meerut, Hubli-Dharwad, Ujjain, Nagpur, Madurai, Chennai, Ludhiana, Pune etc. that saw recorded an improvement up to only 10 percent in the PM 10 levels.
Yadav who chaired the 4th meeting of the Apex Committee of National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) on the occasion of Swachh Vayu Diwas (International Day of Clean Air for blue skies) on Sunday said that a performance-based grant of Rs. 19,612 crore has been allocated to 131 cities for implementation of city action plans from 2019-20 to 2025-26. Out of this, Rs. 11,211 crore has been provided so far to achieve the targets of 40 reduction and National Ambient Air Quality Standards by 2025-26.
The minister also highlighted the creation of 3776 hectares of Nagar Van/Vatikas under Nagar Van Yojana in 64 cities. He also commended the extensive tree plantation drives conducted in 131 cities under ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, a global campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
