Lok Sabha Question No. 2020 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-30
Subject: Graded Action Plan to Control Air Pollution
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sandhya Ray, Krishna Pal Singh Yadav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2020

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 30.07.2021

## Graded Action Plan to Control Air Pollution

## 2020.  SHRIMATI SANDHYA RAY: DR. KRISHNA PAL SINGH YADAV:

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

- (a) the details of cities and regions where air pollution is reportedly showing rising trend along with the main reasons for deterioration in air quality;
- (b) whether  the  Environment  Pollution  Control  and  Prevention  Authority  is  implementing  the graded action plan to tackle pollution level in various cities of the country; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

## (a) :

The  analysis  of  air  quality  data  of  132  cities  indicates  that  majority  of  cities  are showing improvement in air quality as compared to 2019-20.

Ambient  air  quality  data  of  PM10  of  36  cities  showed  an  increase  of  PM10 concentration  in  2020-2021  as  compared  to  2019-2020  whereas  96  cities  has  a  decreasing trend (i.e improvement in air quality).

18  cities  were  found  to  be  within  the  prescribed  National  Ambient  Air  Quality  in 2019-20 which has increased to 27 in year 2020-21. The comparative air quality data of 132 cities is given at Annexure-I .

## (b) and (c):

The Government has notified a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi and NCRand Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) for the National Capital Region (NCR) was intrusted for its implementation. The Commission for Air Quality Management in National  Capital  Region  and  Adjoining  Area  has  been  constituted  through promulgation  of  an  Ordinance  No.  4  of  2021.  With  this  Ordinance,  the  Order  made  under section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 constituting the EPCA for the NCR vide notification number S.O. 93(E), dated the 29th January, 1998 is repealed and the EPCA for the NCR is dissolved. GRAP comprises measures such as prohibition on entry of trucks into

Delhi;  ban  on  construction  activities,  introduction  of  odd  and  even  scheme  for  private vehicles,  shutting  of  schools,  closure  of  brick  kilns,  hot  mix  plants  and  stone  crushers; shutting  down  of  Badarpur  power  plant,  ban  on  diesel  generator  sets,  garbage  burning  in landfills and plying of visibly polluting vehicles etc. The nature, scope and rigor of measures to  be  taken  is  linked  to  levels  of  pollution  viz.  Severe  +  or  Emergency,  severe,  Very  Poor, Moderate to Poor and Moderate, after due consideration by authorities concerned.

*****

## Annexure-I

## Ambient air quality status of 132 cities listed by NCAP (2019-2020 & 2020-2021)

| States / UT      | Cities               | 2019-2020 Average concentration (F.Y.) ofPM (µg/m 3 )   | 2020-2021 Average concentration 3   |
|------------------|----------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh   | Vijayawada           | 10 57                                                   | (F.Y.) ofPM 10 (µg/m ) 56           |
|                  | Visakhapatnam        | 97                                                      | 104                                 |
|                  | Anantpur             | 60                                                      | 58                                  |
|                  | Chittur              | 51                                                      | 41                                  |
|                  | Eluru                | 64                                                      | 58                                  |
|                  | Guntur               | 58                                                      | 56                                  |
|                  | Kadapa               | 48                                                      | 50                                  |
|                  | Kurnool              | 56                                                      | 52                                  |
|                  | Nellore              | 67                                                      | 56                                  |
|                  | Ongole               | 59                                                      | 49                                  |
|                  | Rajamahendravaram    | 61                                                      | 69                                  |
|                  | Srikakulam           | 66                                                      | 66                                  |
|                  | Vizhianagaram        | 68                                                      | 63                                  |
| Assam            | Guwahati             | 113                                                     | 114                                 |
|                  | Nagaon               | 92                                                      | 90                                  |
|                  | Nalbari              | 75                                                      | 57                                  |
|                  | Silchar              | 45                                                      | 43                                  |
|                  | Sivasagar            | 55                                                      | 48                                  |
| Bihar            | Patna                | 170                                                     | 143                                 |
| Bihar            | Gaya                 | 76                                                      | 71                                  |
| Bihar            | Muzafarpur           | 138                                                     | 180                                 |
| Chandigarh       | Chandigarh           | 92                                                      | 90                                  |
| Chandigarh       | Korba                | 54                                                      | 46                                  |
| Chhattisgarh     | Durg Bhilainagar     | 75                                                      | 56                                  |
|                  | Raipur               | 63                                                      | 55                                  |
| Delhi            | Delhi                | 192                                                     | 193                                 |
| Gujarat          | Ahmedabad            | 116                                                     | 120                                 |
|                  | Rajkot               | 113                                                     | 94                                  |
|                  | Surat                | 109                                                     | 93                                  |
|                  | Vadodara             | 108                                                     | 95                                  |
| Haryana          | Faridabad            |                                                         | 229                                 |
| Himachal Pradesh | Baddi                | 133                                                     | 123                                 |
| Himachal Pradesh | Damtal               | 52                                                      | 65                                  |
| Himachal Pradesh | Kala Amb             | 95                                                      | 64                                  |
| Himachal Pradesh | Nalagarh             | 113                                                     | 90                                  |
| Himachal Pradesh | Paonta Sahib         | 98                                                      | 78                                  |
| Himachal Pradesh | Parwanoo             | 60                                                      | 44                                  |
| Himachal Pradesh | Sunder Nagar         | 69                                                      | 63                                  |
| Jammu&Kashmir    | Jammu                | 145                                                     | 186                                 |
|                  | Srinagar             | 132                                                     | 163                                 |
| Jharkhand        | Dhanbad              | 211                                                     | 198                                 |
|                  | Jamshedpur           | 138                                                     | 96                                  |
|                  | Ranchi               | 108                                                     | 105                                 |
| Karnataka        | Bengaluru            | 73                                                      | 62                                  |
|                  | Devanagere           | 66                                                      | 72                                  |
|                  | Gulburga / Kalaburgi | 80                                                      | 92                                  |
| Madhya Pradesh   | Hubli-Dharwad        | 78                                                      | 69                                  |
| Madhya Pradesh   | Bhopal               | 141                                                     | 114                                 |
| Madhya Pradesh   | Gwalior Indore       | 136 91                                                  | 125 96                              |
| Madhya Pradesh   | Jabalpur             | 111                                                     | 106                                 |

| States / UT   |                     | 2019-2020 Average concentration   | 2020-2021 Average concentration   |
|---------------|---------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| States / UT   | Dewas               | 91                                | 93                                |
|               | Sagar               | 71                                | 64 104                            |
|               | Ujjain Aurangabad   | 90 76                             | 65                                |
|               | Greater Mumbai      | 106                               | 98                                |
|               | Nagpur              | 80                                | 68                                |
|               | Nashik              | 57                                | 51                                |
|               | Pune                | 81                                | 69                                |
|               | Vasai virar         | 99                                | 43                                |
|               | Akola               | 66                                | 54                                |
|               | Amravati            | 89                                | 58                                |
|               | Badlapur            | 88                                | 67                                |
| Maharashtra   | Chandrapur          | 93                                | 100                               |
|               | Jalgaon             | 57                                | 53                                |
|               | Jalna               | 95                                | 86                                |
|               | Kolhapur            | 95                                | 83                                |
|               | Latur               | 84                                | 54                                |
|               | Navi Mumbai         | 54                                | 52                                |
|               | Sangli              | 70                                | 71                                |
|               | Solapur             | 90                                | 79                                |
|               | Thane               | 79                                | 105                               |
| Meghalaya     | Ulhasnagar Byrnihat | 83 97                             | 66 127                            |
| Nagaland      | Dimapur             | 84                                | 85                                |
| Nagaland      | Kohima              | 81                                | 84                                |
|               | Angul               | 95                                | 88                                |
| Odisha        | Balasore            | 86                                | 78                                |
| Odisha        | Bhubneshwar         | 103                               | 78                                |
| Odisha        | Cuttack             | 104                               | 86                                |
| Odisha        | Kalinga Nagar       | 113                               | 104                               |
| Odisha        | Rourkela            | 112                               | 96                                |
| Punjab        | Amritsar            | 109                               | 113                               |
|               | Ludhiana            | 115                               | 129                               |
| Punjab        | Dera Baba Nanak     | 68                                | 66                                |
| Punjab        | DeraBassi           | 100                               | 105                               |
| Punjab        | MandiGobindgarh     | 130                               | 131                               |
| Punjab        | Jalandhar           | 121                               | 150                               |
| Punjab        | Khanna              | 113                               | 101                               |
| Rajasthan     | NayaNangal Patiala  | 98 107                            | 95 102                            |
|               | Jaipur              |                                   | 112                               |
|               |                     | 124                               |                                   |
|               | Jodhpur             | 167 102                           | 155 100                           |
|               | Kota                | 126                               | 110                               |
|               | Alwar               |                                   | 109                               |
|               | Udaipur Chennai     | 136 60                            | 60                                |
| Tamil         | Madurai             | 66                                | 57                                |
| Nadu          | Trichy              |                                   |                                   |
|               | Tuticorin           | 58                                | 40                                |
|               | Hyderabad           | 84 86                             | 84 88                             |
|               | Nalgonda            | 59                                | 60                                |
| Telangana     |                     | 87                                |                                   |
|               | Patencheru          |                                   | 77                                |
|               | Sangareddy Agra     | 87 163                            | 77 188                            |
| Uttar Pradesh | Allahabad           | 219                               | 184                               |

| States / UT   | Cities      | 2019-2020                                      | 2020-2021                                      |
|---------------|-------------|------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| States / UT   | Cities      | Average concentration (F.Y.) ofPM 10 (µg/m 3 ) | Average concentration (F.Y.) ofPM 10 (µg/m 3 ) |
|               | Ghaziabad   | 218                                            | 218                                            |
|               | Kanpur      | 200                                            | 169                                            |
|               | Lucknow     | 216                                            | 209                                            |
|               | Meerut      | 203                                            | 200                                            |
|               | Varanasi    | 180                                            | 168                                            |
|               | Anpara      | 169                                            | 142                                            |
|               | Bareily     | 185                                            | 193                                            |
|               | Firozabad   | 213                                            | 186                                            |
|               | Gajraula    | 217                                            | 168                                            |
|               | Gorakpur    | 278                                            | 168                                            |
|               | Jhansi      | 102                                            | 99                                             |
|               | Khurja      | 226                                            | 194                                            |
|               | Moradabad   | 243                                            | 206                                            |
|               | Noida       | 213                                            | 197                                            |
|               | Raebareli   | 161                                            | 98                                             |
|               | Dehradun    | 166                                            | 144                                            |
|               | Kashipur    | 130                                            | 129                                            |
|               | Rishikesh   | 136                                            | 77                                             |
|               | Asansol     | 124                                            | 114                                            |
|               | Kolkata     | 101                                            | 99                                             |
|               | Barrackpore | 108                                            | 75                                             |
|               | Durgapur    | 125                                            | 103                                            |
|               | Haldia      | 69                                             | 93                                             |
|               | Howrah      | 144                                            | 117                                            |
|               | Rani Ganj   | 177                                            | 107                                            |