Lok Sabha Question No. 2157 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-04
Subject: Environment Statistics
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Parvesh Sahib Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2157

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.03.2020

## ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS

## 2157. SHRI PARVESH SAHIB SINGH VERMA:

Will the Minister of STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  details  of  different  environment  statistics  developed  and  prepared  for the National Resource Accounts;
- (b) the situation of Delhi vis-à-vis other States in these environment statistics; and
- (c)  the  standards and norms for assessing AQI in India along with the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS  AND  PROGRAMME  IMPLEMENTATION  AND  MINISTER  OF  STATE (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  OF  THE  MINISTRY  OF  PLANNING  (RAO  INDERJIT SINGH)

- (a) & (b) Natural resource accounting is an accounting system developed by the United  Nations  that  deals  with  stocks  and  stock  changes  of  natural  assets, comprising biological resources (produced or wild), subsoil assets, water and land with their aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Statistics related to these domains  are  developed  and  collected  by  the  different  ministries  of the Government of India and the State Governments as per their mandate. There is no  single  indicator  which  can  describe  the  situation  of  Delhi  vis-à-vis  other states.
- (c)  Central  Pollution  Control  Board,  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forests  and Climate Change compiles the national Air Quality Index (AQI). There are six AQI

categories  (namely  Good,  Satisfactory,  Moderately  polluted,  Poor,  Very  Poor, and Severe). Each of these categories is decided based on ambient concentration values of air pollutants and their likely health impacts (known as health breakpoints). AQ sub-index and health breakpoints are evolved for eight pollutants  (PM10,  PM2.5,  NO2,  SO2,  CO,  O3,  NH3,  and  Pb)  for  which  short-term (upto 24-hours) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed. These standards are available in public domain on CPCB's website, cpcb.nic.in.

## AQI  categories  and  health  break  points  for  the  eight  pollutants  are  given  in Annexure.

ANNEXURE TO LOK SABHA QUESTION NO. 2157 DUE FOR ANSWER ON 04.03.2020

AQI categories and health breakpoints for the eight pollutants

| AQI                                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                                 | Concentration range*                                                                                                                                            | Concentration range*                                                                                                                                            | Concentration range*                                                                                                                                            | Concentration range*                                                                                                                                            | Concentration range*                                                                                                                                            | Concentration range*                                                                                                                                            | Concentration range*                                                                                                                                            | Concentration range*                                                                                                                                            |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Category                                                                                                                                                        | AQI                                                                                                                                                             | PM 10 24-hr                                                                                                                                                     | PM 2.5 24-hr                                                                                                                                                    | NO 2 24-hr                                                                                                                                                      | O 3 8-hr                                                                                                                                                        | CO 8-hr                                                                                                                                                         | SO 2 24-hr                                                                                                                                                      | NH 3 24-hr                                                                                                                                                      | Pb 24-hr                                                                                                                                                        |
| Good                                                                                                                                                            | 0-50                                                                                                                                                            | 0-50                                                                                                                                                            | 0-30                                                                                                                                                            | 0-40                                                                                                                                                            | 0-50                                                                                                                                                            | 0-1.0                                                                                                                                                           | 0-40                                                                                                                                                            | 0-200                                                                                                                                                           | 0-0.5                                                                                                                                                           |
| Satisfactory                                                                                                                                                    | 51- 100                                                                                                                                                         | 51- 100                                                                                                                                                         | 31-60                                                                                                                                                           | 41-80                                                                                                                                                           | 51- 100                                                                                                                                                         | 1.1- 2.0                                                                                                                                                        | 41-80                                                                                                                                                           | 201- 400                                                                                                                                                        | 0.5 - 1.0                                                                                                                                                       |
| Moderately polluted                                                                                                                                             | 101- 200                                                                                                                                                        | 101- 250                                                                                                                                                        | 61-90                                                                                                                                                           | 81- 180                                                                                                                                                         | 101- 168                                                                                                                                                        | 2.1- 10                                                                                                                                                         | 81- 380                                                                                                                                                         | 401- 800                                                                                                                                                        | 1.1- 2.0                                                                                                                                                        |
| Poor                                                                                                                                                            | 201- 300                                                                                                                                                        | 251- 350                                                                                                                                                        | 91- 120                                                                                                                                                         | 181- 280                                                                                                                                                        | 169- 208                                                                                                                                                        | 10-17                                                                                                                                                           | 381- 800                                                                                                                                                        | 801- 1200                                                                                                                                                       | 2.1- 3.0                                                                                                                                                        |
| Very poor                                                                                                                                                       | 301- 400                                                                                                                                                        | 351- 430                                                                                                                                                        | 121- 250                                                                                                                                                        | 281- 400                                                                                                                                                        | 209- 748*                                                                                                                                                       | 17-34                                                                                                                                                           | 801- 1600                                                                                                                                                       | 1200- 1800                                                                                                                                                      | 3.1- 3.5                                                                                                                                                        |
| Severe                                                                                                                                                          | 401- 500                                                                                                                                                        | 430 +                                                                                                                                                           | 250+                                                                                                                                                            | 400+                                                                                                                                                            | 748+*                                                                                                                                                           | 34+                                                                                                                                                             | 1600+                                                                                                                                                           | 1800+                                                                                                                                                           | 3.5+                                                                                                                                                            |
| * CO in mg/m 3 and other pollutants in µg/m 3 ; 2h-hourly average values for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , and Pb, and 8-hourly values for CO and O 3 . | * CO in mg/m 3 and other pollutants in µg/m 3 ; 2h-hourly average values for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , and Pb, and 8-hourly values for CO and O 3 . | * CO in mg/m 3 and other pollutants in µg/m 3 ; 2h-hourly average values for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , and Pb, and 8-hourly values for CO and O 3 . | * CO in mg/m 3 and other pollutants in µg/m 3 ; 2h-hourly average values for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , and Pb, and 8-hourly values for CO and O 3 . | * CO in mg/m 3 and other pollutants in µg/m 3 ; 2h-hourly average values for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , and Pb, and 8-hourly values for CO and O 3 . | * CO in mg/m 3 and other pollutants in µg/m 3 ; 2h-hourly average values for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , and Pb, and 8-hourly values for CO and O 3 . | * CO in mg/m 3 and other pollutants in µg/m 3 ; 2h-hourly average values for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , and Pb, and 8-hourly values for CO and O 3 . | * CO in mg/m 3 and other pollutants in µg/m 3 ; 2h-hourly average values for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , and Pb, and 8-hourly values for CO and O 3 . | * CO in mg/m 3 and other pollutants in µg/m 3 ; 2h-hourly average values for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , and Pb, and 8-hourly values for CO and O 3 . | * CO in mg/m 3 and other pollutants in µg/m 3 ; 2h-hourly average values for PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO 2 , SO 2 , NH 3 , and Pb, and 8-hourly values for CO and O 3 . |

*******