Lok Sabha Question No. 128 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-21
Subject: Increase in Level of Particulate Matter
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Deepak Baij

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 128

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.06.2019

## Increase in Level of Particulate Matter

## 128. SHRI DEEPAK BAIJ

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) Whether the Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 level is increasing very fast in various cities of the country including Delhi and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) Whether the results of the steps taken to reduce the high level of air pollution are satisfactory and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) Whether several people have died because of air pollution, if so, the details of such deaths reported during the last five years; and
- (d) The extent to which the air pollution is more than the stipulated norms in the metropolitan cities of the country along with its harmful effect on human health?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

- (a)  The  ambient  air  quality  data  for  metropolitan  cities  /  million  plus  urban  agglomerations during 2016- 2018 is given in Annexure-I .  With  respect  to  PM2.5,  trends  are  available  for 17 cities  and  out  of  which,  08  cities  showed  an  increasing  trend,  04  cities  showed  a  decreasing concentration, 05 cities showed a fluctuating trend.
- (b) The measures  taken by the Government to control pollution and improve the air quality  inter alia, include setting up of monitoring network for assessment of ambient air quality; launching of National Air Quality index; notification of  Graded Response Action Plan for different levels of air pollution in  Delhi  and  NCR;  leapfrogging  from  BS-IV  to  BS-VI  fuel  standards  since  1st April, 2018 in NCT of Delhi and from by 1st April, 2020 in the rest of the country; introduction of cleaner / alternate fuels like gaseous fuel (CNG, LPG etc.), ethanol blending; etc. The Central Government  has  also  notified  a  Comprehensive  Action  Plan  (CAP)  identifying  timelines  and implementing agency for actions identified for prevention, control and mitigation of air pollution in  Delhi  and  NCR.  The  Central  Government  has  launched  National  Clean  Air  Programme (NCAP) as a long-term, time bound national level strategy to tackle the increasing air pollution problem across the country in comprehensive manner.

Ambient  air  quality  data  of  Delhi  monitored  under  Continuous  Ambient  Air  Quality Monitoring  Stations  (CAAQMS  (real  time))  during  2016-2018  is  enclosed  at Annexure-II . Analysis of data revealed that, there is 14.8% reduction in PM2.5 levels and 16.5% reduction in PM10 levels in 2018 over 2016. (c) Though air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases, there are no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation of death/ disease exclusively due to air pollution. (d)  The  ambient  air  quality  data  for  metropolitan  cities  /  million  plus  urban  agglomerations during 2016- 2018 is given in Annexure-I . Analysis of data revealed that SO2 levels were within the  National  Ambient  Air  Quality  Standard  (NAAQS)  in  all  50  cities  during  2016-18.  With respect to NO2,  17  cities showed  an  increasing trend, 16 cities showed  a  decreasing concentration,  16  cities  showed  a  fluctuating  trend  and  1  city  revealed  steady  concentration. With  respect  to  PM10,  14  cities  showed  an  increasing  trend,  14  cities  showed  a  decreasing concentration, 22 cities showed a fluctuating trend.  Details of harmful effect of air pollution on human health are given at Annexure-III.

*****

## Annexure-I

## Air quality status of million plus/ urban agglomerations cities for 2016, 2017 and 2018 under NAMP (Manual)

(Annual average in µg/m 3 )

| Sl .N o   | State            | Sl .N o   | City                | 2016   | 2016   | 2016   | 2016   | 2017   | 2017   | 2017   | 2017   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   | 2018   |
|-----------|------------------|-----------|---------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| Sl .N o   | State            | Sl .N o   | City                | SO 2   | N O 2  | PM 10  | PM 2.5 | SO 2   | N O 2  | PM 10  | PM 2.5 | SO 2   | N O 2  | PM 10  | PM 2.5 |
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh   | 1.        | Vijaywada           | 6      | 44     | 102    | -      | 6      | 29     | 99     | -      | 5      | 21     | 77     | 29     |
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh   | 2.        | Vishakhap atnam     | 8      | 18     | 77     | -      | 9      | 17     | 73     | -      | 10     | 20     | 77     | 49     |
| 2.        | Bihar            | 3.        | Patna               | 4      | 32     | 212    | -      | 5      | 39     | 156    | -      | 5      | 51     | 207    |        |
| 3.        | Chandi garh      | 4.        | Chandigar h         | 2      | 21     | 105    | 123    | 2      | 16     | 109    | 64     | 2      | 17     | 102    | 50     |
| 4.        | Chattis garh     | 5.        | Durg- Bhillainag ar | 9      | 23     | 108    | -      | 8      | 21     | 97     | -      | 8      | 19     | 84     | -      |
| 4.        | Chattis garh     | 6.        | Raipur              | 12     | 31     | 148    |        | 10     | 27     | 103    |        | 14     | 20     | 65     |        |
| 5.        | Delhi            | 7.        | Delhi               | 7      | 66     | 278    | 118    | 7      | 68     | 241    | 106    | 6      | 73     | 223    | 121    |
| 6.        | Gujarat          | 8.        | Ahmedaba d          | 14     | 27     | 108    | 34     | 14     | 29     | 120    | 38     | 16     | 29     | 236    | 73     |
| 6.        | Gujarat          | 9.        | Rajkot              | 13     | 21     | 92     | 32     | 16     | 22     | 106    | 37     | 19     | 23     | 203    | 64     |
| 6.        | Gujarat          | 10.       | Surat               | 13     | 22     | 92     | 31     | 16     | 26     | 106    | 36     | 22     | 29     | 176    | 57     |
| 6.        | Gujarat          | 11.       | Vadodara            | 14     | 23     | 92     | 30     | 16     | 23     | 108    | 36     | 20     | 25     | 188    | 60     |
| 7.        | Haryan a         | 12.       | Faridabad           | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      |
| 8.        | Jammu & Kashmi r | 13.       | Srinagar            | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | -      | 153    | -      |

|   9. | Jharkha nd      |   14. | Dhanbad             | 15   | 37   | 226   | -   | 15   | 37   | 238   | -   | 14   | 37   | 264   | -   |
|------|-----------------|-------|---------------------|------|------|-------|-----|------|------|-------|-----|------|------|-------|-----|
|    9 | Jharkha nd      |    15 | Jamshedp ur         | 36   | 45   | 136   | -   | 36   | 45   | 131   | -   | 37   | 46   | 128   | -   |
|    9 | Jharkha nd      |    16 | Ranchi              | 20   | 37   | 196   | -   | 19   | 37   | 142   | -   | 18   | 36   | 122   | -   |
|   10 | Karnata ka      |    17 | Bangalore           | 3    | 31   | 103   | 51  | 2    | 31   | 92    | 46  | 2    | 30   | 90    | 47  |
|   11 | Kerala          |    18 | Kochi               | 2    | 20   | 48    | -   | 2    | 19   | 51    | -   | 3    | 16   | 57    | -   |
|   11 | Kerala          |    19 | Kollam              | 4    | 8    | 46    | -   | 3    | 6    | 43    | -   | 3    | 5    | 47    | -   |
|   11 | Kerala          |    20 | Kozhikod e          | 2    | 18   | 51    | -   | 2    | 18   | 47    | -   | 2    | 10   | 54    | 6   |
|   11 | Kerala          |    21 | Malapura m          | 2    | 17   | 37    | -   | 2    | 21   | 32    | -   | 2    | 26   | 31    | -   |
|   11 | Kerala          |    22 | Thiruvana nthapuram | 10   | 25   | 53    | -   | 10   | 26   | 49    | -   | 9    | 24   | 49    | -   |
|   11 | Kerala          |    23 | Thissur             | 2    | 5    | 54    | -   | 2    | 5    | 56    | -   | 3    | 9    | 41    | -   |
|   12 | Madhy a Pradesh |    24 | Bhopal              | 3    | 15   | 89    | 27  | 4    | 15   | 93    | 41  | 7    | 14   | 135   | 59  |
|   12 | Madhy a Pradesh |    25 | Gwalior             | 10   | 14   | 96    | 52  | 10   | 17   | 110   | 47  | 13   | 21   | 134   | 62  |
|   12 | Madhy a Pradesh |    26 | Indore              | 11   | 20   | 95    | 54  | 11   | 21   | 80    | 43  | 10   | 19   | 88    | 41  |
|   12 | Madhy a Pradesh |    27 | Jabalpur            | 10   | 23   | 71    | 32  | 10   | 21   | 74    | 23  | 7    | 17   | 119   | 43  |
|   13 | Mahara shtra    |    28 | Aurangab ad         | 14   | 39   | 92    | -   | 10   | 33   | 83    | -   | 13   | 35   | 70    | -   |
|   13 | Mahara shtra    |    29 | Mumbai              | 6    | 30   | 119   | -   | 3    | 18   | 151   | 40  | 2    | 21   | 166   | 46  |
|   13 | Mahara shtra    |    30 | Nagpur              | 16   | 26   | 118   | -   | 9    | 27   | 102   | -   | 10   | 28   | 103   | 44  |
|   13 | Mahara shtra    |    31 | Nashik              | 13   | 27   | 85    | -   | 12   | 22   | 81    | -   | 12   | 21   | 85    | -   |
|   13 | Mahara shtra    |    32 | Pune                | 28   | 78   | 107   | -   | 21   | 65   | 102   | -   | 37   | 75   | 106   | -   |
|   13 | Mahara shtra    |    33 | Thane               | 18   | 60   | 122   | -   | 18   | 47   | 125   | -   | 17   | 44   | 108   | -   |
|   13 | Mahara shtra    |    34 | Vasai- virar        | N A  | N A  | NA    | NA  | N A  | N A  | NA    | NA  | N A  | N A  | NA    | NA  |
|   14 | Punjab          |    35 | Amritsar            | 12   | 29   | 194   | -   | 11   | 27   | 168   | -   | 13   | 34   | 177   | -   |

NB. NA- no monitoring station  in  the  city,    '-'  data  not  available,  National  Ambient  Air  Quality Standard (NAAQS) for Residential, Industrial, Rural and others Areas (Annual average) for SO2 = 50 µg/m 3 , NO2 = 40 µg/m 3 , PM10 = 60 µg/m 3 & PM2.5 = 40 µg/m 3 and SO2 = 20 µg/m 3 , NO2 = 30  µg/m 3 ,  PM10  =  60  µg/m 3 and  PM2.5  =  40  µg/m 3 for  Ecologically  sensitive  area . The  data furnished in the table for year 2018 is as available on date.

|    |               |   36. | Ludhiana    |   11 |   25 |   139 | -   |   10 |   28 |   162 | -   |   9 |   32 |   162 | -   |
|----|---------------|-------|-------------|------|------|-------|-----|------|------|-------|-----|-----|------|-------|-----|
| 15 | Rajasth an    |    37 | Jaipur      |    8 |   33 |   199 | -   |    8 |   30 |   177 | -   |   8 |   32 |   165 | -   |
| 15 | Rajasth an    |    38 | Jodhpur     |    6 |   23 |   168 | -   |    6 |   21 |   180 | -   |   7 |   24 |   223 | -   |
| 15 | Rajasth an    |    39 | Kota        |    7 |   30 |   109 | -   |    8 |   28 |   130 | -   |   7 |   28 |   152 | -   |
| 16 | Tamiln adu    |    40 | Chennai     |   10 |   18 |    65 | 25  |    9 |   17 |    62 | 32  |   9 |   16 |    78 | 34  |
| 16 | Tamiln adu    |    41 | Coimbator e |    6 |   24 |    59 | 35  |    5 |   26 |    49 | 34  |   6 |   23 |    54 | 32  |
| 16 | Tamiln adu    |    42 | Madurai     |   15 |   24 |    76 | 38  |   14 |   23 |    67 | 30  |  12 |   20 |    84 | 34  |
| 16 | Tamiln adu    |    43 | Trichy      |   12 |   20 |    95 | 27  |   12 |   20 |    86 |     |  17 |   23 |   110 | 53  |
| 17 | Telanga na    |    44 | Hyderaba d  |    5 |   27 |   101 | 49  |    6 |   28 |   108 | 54  |   5 |   30 |   105 | 55  |
| 18 | Uttar Pradesh |    45 | Agra        |    5 |   22 |   198 | -   |    4 |   19 |   185 | 124 |   4 |   22 |   209 | 106 |
| 18 | Uttar Pradesh |    46 | Allahabad   |    4 |   37 |   196 | -   |    4 |   40 |   140 | -   |   4 |   45 |   231 | -   |
| 18 | Uttar Pradesh |    47 | Ghaziabad   |   15 |   28 |   235 | -   |   22 |   34 |   280 | -   |  21 |   43 |   245 | 103 |
| 18 | Uttar Pradesh |    48 | Kanpur      |    7 |   39 |   217 | -   |    7 |   45 |   224 | -   |   7 |   47 |   218 | -   |
| 18 | Uttar Pradesh |    49 | Lucknow     |    8 |   27 |   214 | -   |    8 |   26 |   246 | 102 |   7 |   30 |   217 | 108 |
| 18 | Uttar Pradesh |    50 | Meerut      |    7 |   55 |   157 | -   |    7 |   52 |   153 | -   |   7 |   58 |   177 | -   |
| 18 | Uttar Pradesh |    51 | Varanasi    |   11 |   32 |   256 | -   |   10 |   38 |   244 | -   |   9 |   34 |   189 | -   |
| 19 | West Bengal   |    52 | Asansol     |   13 |   42 |   211 | 88  |   12 |   37 |   163 | 67  |  13 |   35 |   146 | 58  |
| 19 | West Bengal   |    53 | Kolkata     |    4 |   49 |   113 | 70  |    6 |   41 |   120 | 71  |   6 |   44 |   148 | 86  |

Annexure - II

| Annual Average Values of CAAQMS Stations in Delhi   | Annual Average Values of CAAQMS Stations in Delhi   | Annual Average Values of CAAQMS Stations in Delhi   |
|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| Year                                                | PM2.5 in µg/m 3                                     | PM10 in µg/m 3                                      |
| 2016                                                | 135                                                 | 291                                                 |
| 2017                                                | 124                                                 | 266                                                 |
| 2018                                                | 115                                                 | 243                                                 |
| Percentage Reduction in 2018 compare to 2016        | 14.8                                                | 16.5                                                |
| Percentage Reduction in 2018 compare to 2017        | 7.3                                                 | 8.6                                                 |
| Percentage Reduction in 2017 compare to 2016        | 8.1                                                 | 8.6                                                 |

## Annexure-III

| Pollutant                    | Effects                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  | Effects                                                                                                                                           |
|------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                              | Human / flora / fauna                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    | Environment &Property                                                                                                                             |
| Sulphur dioxide (SO 2 )      |  respiratory illness  visibility impairment  aggravate existing heart and lung diseases                                                                                                                                                                                               |  acid rain  aesthetic damage                                                                                                                    |
| Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)     |  irritates the nose and throat  increase susceptibility to respiratory infections                                                                                                                                                                                                      |  Precursor of ozone formed in the troposphere  Form atmospheric fine particulate matter burden as a result of oxidation to form nitrate aerosol |
| Particulate Matter (PM 10 )  |  cardio-pulmonary problems  asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia in older people                                                                                                                                                                                                          | Visibility reduction                                                                                                                              |
| Particulate Matter (PM 2.5 ) |  oxidative stress  respiratory symptoms such as irritation of the airways, coughing, or difficulty breathing  decreased lung function  aggravated asthma  chronic bronchitis  irregular heartbeat cardio-pulmonary disorder  premature death in people with heart or lung disease |  aesthetic damage  visibility reduction                                                                                                         |