Air Pollution and National Clean Air Programme

 Air Pollution and the National Clean Air Programme

 

In today's modern world, every atom of air is contaminated. This is a silent killer for our bodies, and we are all aware of the Delhi air pollution issue. Air pollution is one of the world's foremost environmental challenges.

Over the years, the World Health Organization's database on air pollution has identified Tier I and Tier II Indian cities as some of the most polluted in the world. In 2018, India had 14 of the world's top 15 most polluted cities. According to research published in the journal Lancet, India ranks first in premature mortality and fatalities (deaths) caused by air pollution.

In order to tackle it, the Union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change initiated the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to combat the country's air pollution problem in a comprehensive manner.

 

Air Pollution

 Air pollution can be defined as the contamination of the interior or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical, or biological factor that alters the essential properties of the atmosphere.

Air pollution is commonly caused by household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial operations, and forest fires.
According to the World Air Quality Report 2021, India was placed fifth among the world's most polluted countries.

 

The National Clean Air Programme

• The Ministry of Environment launched the National Clean Air Program, or NCAP, in 2019.
• The National Green Tribunal has recommended to the Ministry of Environment that the NCAP be modified in order to reduce air pollution by 20–30% by 2024.
• Four years have passed since the National Clean Air Program began.
• The Center government has set a new goal of reducing particulate matter concentrations in cities covered by the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) by 40% by 2026, up from a previous goal of 20% to 30% by 2024.
• It is the national framework for managing air quality, with a time-bound reduction objective.
• The target of NCAP (annual average ambient air quality standards at all places across the country) is a 20–30% decrease in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, with 2017 serving as the baseline year for comparison.
• City-specific action plans for the NCAP strategy have been developed, including efforts to enhance the air quality monitoring network, reduce vehicular and industrial emissions, raise public awareness, and so on.
• Based on Air Quality data from 2014 to 2018, 132 non-attainment cities were identified across the country under NCAP.

 What is PM, or particulate matter?

A combination of solid particles and liquid droplets is present in the air. Some particles are big or black enough to be visible to the human eye, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke. Others are so minuscule that they can only be seen with an electron microscope.

 

What are the goals and objectives of NCAP?

• To have an effective management strategy for the prevention, control, and reduction of air pollution.
• Increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of ambient air quality monitoring networks around the country.
• To have effective data distribution and public engagement methods in place for timely air pollution prevention and mitigation activities.

 

Performance of NCAP?

•  Monitoring 

At the central and state levels, the Steering Committee, Monitoring Committee, and implementation Committee routinely monitor the implementation of the city-specific action plans.

• The air quality of cities is monitored by State Pollution Control Boards.
• Some Smart Cities have established Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs), which are connected to Air Quality Monitors (AQMs) for effective monitoring. 
• Region-specific programme

 - A city-specific action plan has been established for each of India's main cities. For example, Delhi, Mumbai, and so on.

- City Action Plans and Micro Action Plans have been produced in 131 cities across the country.

• Improvement:

 When compared to 2017, the concentration of Particulate Matter has improved in 95 cities, with 20 of those cities meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

• PRANA digital portal 

The Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities provides all the information about various stakeholders' policies, programmes, and schemes, as well as progress made toward improving air quality across the country.

Issues or Challenges with NCAP?

• Absence of adequate mechanisms:

There is a lack of a comprehensive framework in place to oversee air quality management at the municipal, district, state, and regional/airshed levels.

• Unsuitable achievement:

 According to the CSE's national study of PM2.5 levels in cities where data is available, only 14 of the 43 NCAP cities reduced their PM2.5 levels by 10% or more between 2019 and 2021.

• Funding issue: 

The Central Pollution Control Board, which administers the programme, exclusively considers PM10 levels, the comparatively bigger and coarser particles, for allocating cash. However, because of a lack of technology, PM2.5, the smaller, more harmful particles, are not measured as rigorously in all cities.

• Distinguishing rural and urban areas:

 The approach focuses on reducing air pollution within cities while disregarding rural pollution, thereby compartmentalising both. Furthermore, the impact of rural air pollution on cities like Delhi is enormous, making efforts focused only on cities less effective.

• Lack of data and information:

 In the absence of a sufficient infrastructure for monitoring air quality, clear data on air quality levels across the nation are not readily available, and the current infrastructure is not integrated.

A way forward for NCAP?

• Access to transparent data: For public engagement, accountability, transparency, and information, the NCAP portal's integration of progress among sectors must be transparent.
• National Emissions Database: It is recommended to create a national emissions database that would quantify the emission reduction goals at the district, state, and national levels based on emission load.
• Identification of airsheds: A future NCAP agenda must accelerate the identification of airsheds across the country in order to create and execute airshed-based air quality management.

What initiatives has India done to combat air pollution?

• Air Quality Index: There are eight contaminants for which an AQI has been developed: PM2.5, PM10, ammonia, lead, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide.

• System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) Portal

• BS-VI Vehicles, Push for Electric Vehicles (EVs), Odd-Even Policy as an Emergency Measure to Reduce Vehicular Pollution (for Delhi).

• New Commission for Air Quality Management

• Farmers will receive a subsidy to purchase a Turbo Happy Seeder (THS) machine in order to reduce stubble burning.

• The National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) has chosen four air pollutants for routine monitoring at all locations: SO2, NO2, PM10, and PM2.5.