Delhi and most of the other non-attainment cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) have shown only a marginal improvement, said a new analysis released.

About NCAP

• The NCAP was implemented across India in 2019 to reduce particulate matter levels in 132 cities by 20-30% in 2024.
• Cities are declared non-attainment if they consistently fail to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) over a five-year period.

What are NAAQ standards?

• The mandate provided to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act empowers it to set standards for the quality of air.
• Hence the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards were notified in November 2009 by the CPCB.
• Prior to this, India had set Air Quality standards in 1994, and this was later revised in 1998.
• The 2009 standards further lowered the maximum permissible limits for pollutants and made the standards uniform across the nation.
• Earlier, less stringent standards were prescribed for industrial zones as compared to residential areas.

Pollutants covered:

• Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂)
• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂),
• Particulate Matter (size less than 10 µm) or PM 10
• Particulate Matter (size less than 2.5 µm) or PM2.5
• Ozone (O₃)
• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
• Ammonia (NH₃)

(Air Pollutants that most of us NEVER heard of:)

• Lead
• Benzene (C₆H₆)
• Benzo(a)Pyrene (BaP)
• Arsenic(As)
• Nickel (Ni)

Source: Arthpaedia

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now