Lok Sabha Question No. 158 (STARRED), answered on 2023-02-13
Subject: Air Pollution in Rural Areas
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ramdas Chandrabhanji Tadas

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No. 158

TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.02.2023

## Air Pollution in Rural Areas

## *158.   SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS:

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

- (a) whether air pollution in the rural areas has increased due to industrial expansion in the country;
- (b) if  so,  whether  any  study  about  the  impact  of  air  pollution  has  been  conducted  in  rural areas; and
- (c) if so, the details of the measures taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to raise awareness about air pollution among the common people in the rural areas?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BHUPENDER YADAV)

- (a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARAS (a) TO (c) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 158 DUE FOR REPLY ON 13.02.2023 REGARDING 'AIR POLLUTION IN RURAL AREAS' RAISED BY SHRI RAMDAS C. TADAS, HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

(a) to (c)

Air  Pollution  is  primarily  an  urban  phenomenon  as  most  of  anthropogenic  activities  in  the urban  areas,  arising  from  various  sectors  viz.  vehicular  pollution,  industrial  pollution,  dust from  construction  and  demolition  project  activities,  road  and  open  areas  dust,  biomass burning,  municipal  solid  waste  burning,  fires  in  sanitary  landfills  and  air  pollution  from dispersed sources, bursting of fire crackers etc.

Source apportionment (SA) and Emission Inventory (EI) studies are carried out  to  identify various  factors  contributing  to  air  pollution  and  to  estimate  their  contribution  to  pollutant emissions and concentrations.

Government has launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019 as a national level strategy to reduce air pollution levels across the country. Under NCAP, it has been proposed to  set  up  100 manual monitoring stations  in rural areas by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) by 2024.

Ambient air  quality  monitoring  network  of  country  presently  has  1326  stations  (Manual  + CAAQM Stations) covering 478 cities in 28 States and 7 Union Territories. Wherein Ambient air quality is being monitored by manual monitoring in 26 locations covering 26 villages in 1 state (Punjab) and 1 UT (Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli).The ambient air quality status of the villages during 2019 to 2021 reveals that SO2 and NO2 in all the villages were within the national standard in all the three years, however, nearly all the villages exceed the standard for PM10. The same is given as Annexure. In the current Financial Year - 2022-23, each SPCB/PCC has been requested to plan 10 rural stations in each state for funding under NAMP. Further, Under NCAP, workshops and seminars are conducted on regular basis for awareness about air pollution.

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## Ambient air quality in rural area during 2020 (Manual monitoring)

|                             |                                | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   | Annual average (µg/m 3 )   |
|-----------------------------|--------------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|
| State /                     |                                | 2019                       | 2019                       | 2019                       | 2019                       | 2020                       | 2020                       | 2020                       | 2020                       | 2021                       | 2021                       | 2021                       | 2021                       |
| Union Territory             | Village                        | SO 2                       | NO 2                       | PM 10                      | PM 2.5                     | SO 2                       | NO 2                       | PM 10                      | PM 2.5                     | SO 2                       | NO 2                       | PM 10                      | PM 2.5                     |
| Dadara& Nagar               | Baldevi (Dadra & Nagar Haveli) | 16                         | 17                         | 65                         | 25                         | 11                         | 15                         | 68                         | 23                         | 13                         | 17                         | 71                         | 26                         |
| Haveli and Daman & Diu (UT) | Patlara (Daman)                | 15                         | 17                         | 63                         | 23                         | 10                         | 14                         | 64                         | 22                         | 13                         | 19                         | 72                         | 26                         |
| Punjab                      | Aligarh (Jagraon)              | 6                          | 17                         | 73                         |                            | 5                          | 15                         | 34                         |                            | 8                          | 16                         | 76                         |                            |
|                             | AspalKhurd (Tapa)              | 5                          | 12                         | 107                        |                            | 7                          | 15                         | 116                        |                            | 7                          | 19                         | 106                        |                            |
|                             | Bara Pind (Goraya)             | 7                          | 20                         | 150                        |                            | 6                          | 17                         | 94                         |                            | 7                          | 17                         | 87                         |                            |
|                             | Binjon (Garshankar)            | 7                          | 14                         | 102                        |                            | 6                          | 19                         | 118                        |                            | 6                          | 15                         | 81                         |                            |
|                             | Bishanpura (Payal)             | 10                         | 21                         | 137                        |                            | 9                          | 22                         | 142                        |                            | 8                          | 20                         | 137                        |                            |
|                             | Changal (Sangrur)              | 5                          | 13                         | 105                        |                            | 6                          | 15                         | 115                        |                            | 6                          | 16                         | 99                         |                            |
|                             | Chowkimann (Jagraon)           | 7                          | 19                         | 68                         |                            | 8                          | 20                         | 94                         |                            | 7                          | 16                         | 182                        |                            |
|                             | Fatehpur (Samana)              | 5                          | 11                         | 95                         |                            | 6                          | 18                         | 98                         |                            | 6                          | 17                         | 91                         |                            |
|                             | Guru Ki Dhab (Kotkapura)       | 5                          | 13                         | 124                        |                            | 5                          | 13                         | 125                        |                            | 4                          | 11                         | 91                         |                            |
|                             | JaitoSarja (Batala)            | 6                          | 14                         | 60                         |                            | 5                          | 13                         | 78                         |                            | 6                          | 14                         | 70                         |                            |
|                             | Kharaori (Sirhind)             | 6                          | 13                         | 100                        |                            | 7                          | 17                         | 99                         |                            | 6                          | 19                         | 92                         |                            |
|                             | Kotladoom (Ajnala)             | 7                          | 13                         | 128                        |                            | 7                          | 15                         | 89                         |                            | 8                          | 15                         | 111                        |                            |
|                             | LakhokeBehram (Ferozpur)       | 4                          | 8                          | 114                        |                            | 5                          | 10                         | 122                        |                            | 4                          | 15                         | 91                         |                            |
|                             | MrarKalan (Muktsar)            | 5                          | 14                         | 111                        |                            | 4                          | 9                          | 88                         |                            |                            |                            |                            |                            |
|                             | Mukandpur (Nawashahar)         | 8                          | 17                         | 134                        |                            | 9                          | 20                         | 119                        |                            | 7                          | 18                         | 104                        |                            |
|                             | Mureedke (Batala)              | 7                          | 12                         | 87                         |                            | 7                          | 25                         | 83                         |                            | 6                          | 16                         | 85                         |                            |
|                             | Naudhrani (Malerkotla)         | 5                          | 13                         | 108                        |                            | 6                          | 16                         | 111                        |                            | 5                          | 17                         | 95                         |                            |
|                             | Peer Mohammad (Jalalabad)      | 5                          | 12                         | 102                        |                            | 5                          | 13                         | 135                        |                            | 4                          | 11                         | 85                         |                            |
|                             | Poohli (Bhatinda)              | 5                          | 15                         | 114                        |                            | 4                          | 9                          | 89                         |                            |                            |                            |                            |                            |
|                             | QilaBharian (Sangrur)          | 5                          | 13                         | 104                        |                            | 6                          | 15                         | 105                        |                            | 5                          | 16                         | 94                         |                            |
|                             | Rakhra (Patiala)               | 5                          | 12                         | 98                         |                            | 7                          | 17                         | 102                        |                            | 6                          | 18                         | 90                         |                            |
|                             | Rohila (Samrala)               | 10                         | 20                         | 159                        |                            | 8                          | 22                         | 151                        |                            | 8                          | 17                         | 119                        |                            |
|                             | Subanpur (Dhilwan)             |                            |                            |                            |                            |                            |                            |                            |                            |                            |                            |                            |                            |
|                             | Tirathpur (Amritsar I)         | 7                          | 13                         | 93                         |                            | 7                          | 14                         | 98                         |                            | 8                          | 18                         | 128                        |                            |

## Annexure