Lok Sabha Question No. 17 (STARRED), answered on 2024-11-25
Subject: National Clean Air Programme
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Shri Manish Jaiswal

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 17

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.11.2024

## National Clean Air Programme

## *17. SHRI MANISH JAISWAL:

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

- (a) the  details  of  the  achievements  regarding  air  quality  and  mitigating  pollution  under National  Clean  Air  Programme  (NCAP)  and  15th  Finance Commission  Air Quality Performance Grants; and
- (b) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government for controlling pollution and improving air quality in coal mining areas in the State of Jharkhand?

## ANSWER

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

## (a) & (b)

A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

***

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  OF  PARA  (a)  TO  (b)  OF  STARRED QUESTION NO. 17 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.11.2024 IN LOK SABHA RAISED BY SHRI MANISH JAISWAL TITLED 'NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAMME'

(a): National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January 2019 with an aim to improve air quality in 130 cities (nonattainment cities and Million Plus Cities in 24 States/UTs through implementation of National, State and  City  level  clean  air  action  plans.  NCAP  envisages  reduction  in  PM10  level  up  to  40%  or achievement of national standards (60 microgram/cubic meter) by 2025-26.

City Specific Clean Air Action Plans have been prepared by all cities to implement air quality improvement measures in respective cities. These plans target air pollution sources like soil & road dust,  vehicular  emissions,  waste  burning,  Construction  &  Demolition  activities,  and  industrial pollution. 48 Million Plus cities are funded under XVth Finance Commission Million Plus City Challenge  Fund  and  remaining  82  cities  are  funded  under  Control  of  Pollution  Scheme  of MoEF&CC. An amount of Rs. 11,211.13 crore was provided to cities during 2019-20 till 2023-24 under the Programme. In addition to this, NCAP emphasises on implementation of City Action Plans (CAPs) through the convergence of resources from various Central Government schemes such as Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), AMRUT, Smart City Mission, SATAT, and Nagar Van Yojana, as well as resources from State Govts./ UT administration and agencies like Municipal Corporations and Urban Development authorities.

Due to efforts made under the programme, 97 cities out of 130 cities have shown improvement in air quality in terms of annual PM10 concentrations in FY 2023-24 with respect to the levels of FY 2017-18. 55 cities have achieved reduction of 20% and above in PM10 levels in 2023-24 with respect  to  the  levels  of  2017-18.  18  cities  have  met  National  Ambient  Air  Quality  Standards (NAAQS) for PM10 (60 μg/m3) in FY 2023-24. Details of air quality improvement of 130 cities are enclosed at Annexure-I .

(b): Steps taken by the Government for controlling air pollution in coal mining areas of Jharkhand are enclosed at Annexure-II .

***

Annexure I

| Improvement in PM 10 concentrations of 130 Cities in FY 2023-24 w.r.t. FY 2017-18   | Improvement in PM 10 concentrations of 130 Cities in FY 2023-24 w.r.t. FY 2017-18   | Improvement in PM 10 concentrations of 130 Cities in FY 2023-24 w.r.t. FY 2017-18   | Improvement in PM 10 concentrations of 130 Cities in FY 2023-24 w.r.t. FY 2017-18   | Improvement in PM 10 concentrations of 130 Cities in FY 2023-24 w.r.t. FY 2017-18            |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                                                              | Cities                                                                              | PM 10 concentrations in 2017-18 (µg/m3) (Annual Avg.)                               | PM 10 concentrations in 2023-24 (µg/m3) (Annual Avg.)                               | Percentage reduction inPM 10 concentrations in 2023-24 with respect to the year 2017- 18 (%) |
| 1.                                                                                  | Varanasi                                                                            | 230                                                                                 | 73                                                                                  | 68                                                                                           |
| 2.                                                                                  | Bareilly                                                                            | 207                                                                                 | 80                                                                                  | 61                                                                                           |
| 3.                                                                                  | Firozabad                                                                           | 247                                                                                 | 102                                                                                 | 59                                                                                           |
| 4.                                                                                  | Dehradun                                                                            | 250                                                                                 | 109                                                                                 | 56                                                                                           |
| 5.                                                                                  | Dhanbad                                                                             | 315                                                                                 | 138                                                                                 | 56                                                                                           |
| 6.                                                                                  | Tuticorin                                                                           | 123                                                                                 | 57                                                                                  | 54                                                                                           |
| 7.                                                                                  | Nalagarh                                                                            | 146                                                                                 | 68                                                                                  | 53                                                                                           |
| 8.                                                                                  | Moradabad                                                                           | 222                                                                                 | 115                                                                                 | 48                                                                                           |
| 9.                                                                                  | Khurja                                                                              | 195                                                                                 | 104                                                                                 | 47                                                                                           |
| 10.                                                                                 | Trichy                                                                              | 88                                                                                  | 47                                                                                  | 47                                                                                           |
| 11.                                                                                 | Kohima                                                                              | 127                                                                                 | 68                                                                                  | 46                                                                                           |
| 12.                                                                                 | Lucknow                                                                             | 253                                                                                 | 137                                                                                 | 46                                                                                           |
| 13.                                                                                 | Kanpur                                                                              | 227                                                                                 | 125                                                                                 | 45                                                                                           |
| 14.                                                                                 | Kadapa                                                                              | 75                                                                                  | 42                                                                                  | 44                                                                                           |
| 15.                                                                                 | Sivasagar                                                                           | 73                                                                                  | 41                                                                                  | 44                                                                                           |
| 16.                                                                                 | Sunder Nagar                                                                        | 78                                                                                  | 44                                                                                  | 44                                                                                           |
| 17.                                                                                 | Agra                                                                                | 202                                                                                 | 116                                                                                 | 43                                                                                           |
| 18.                                                                                 | Greater Mumbai                                                                      | 161                                                                                 | 94                                                                                  | 42                                                                                           |
| 19.                                                                                 | Rishikesh                                                                           | 129                                                                                 | 76                                                                                  | 41                                                                                           |
| 20.                                                                                 | Parwanoo                                                                            | 66                                                                                  | 39                                                                                  | 41                                                                                           |
| 21.                                                                                 | Byrnihat                                                                            | 175                                                                                 | 104                                                                                 | 41                                                                                           |
| 22.                                                                                 | Ahmedabad                                                                           | 164                                                                                 | 98                                                                                  | 40                                                                                           |
| 23.                                                                                 | Ghaziabad                                                                           | 285                                                                                 | 172                                                                                 | 40                                                                                           |
| 24.                                                                                 | Rajkot                                                                              | 150                                                                                 | 92                                                                                  | 39                                                                                           |
| 25.                                                                                 | Jalandhar                                                                           | 178                                                                                 | 111                                                                                 | 38                                                                                           |
| 26.                                                                                 | Raebareli                                                                           | 145                                                                                 | 91                                                                                  | 37                                                                                           |
| 27.                                                                                 | Amritsar                                                                            | 189                                                                                 | 119                                                                                 | 37                                                                                           |
| 28.                                                                                 | Baddi                                                                               | 174                                                                                 | 111                                                                                 | 36                                                                                           |
| 29.                                                                                 | Kolkata                                                                             | 147                                                                                 | 94                                                                                  | 36                                                                                           |
| 30.                                                                                 | Jammu                                                                               | 157                                                                                 | 101                                                                                 | 36                                                                                           |
| 31.                                                                                 | Silchar                                                                             | 49                                                                                  | 32                                                                                  | 35                                                                                           |
| 32.                                                                                 | Jodhpur                                                                             | 189                                                                                 | 124                                                                                 | 34                                                                                           |
| 33.                                                                                 | Vijayawada                                                                          | 91                                                                                  | 61                                                                                  | 33                                                                                           |

|   34. | Naya Nangal      | 87    |   59 |   32 |
|-------|------------------|-------|------|------|
|    35 | Dimapur          | 142   |   97 |   32 |
|    36 | Khanna           | 142   |  100 |   30 |
|    37 | Durgapur         | 150   |  106 |   29 |
|    38 | Kurnool          | 79    |   56 |   29 |
|    39 | Dera Baba Nanak  | 79    |   56 |   29 |
|    40 | Vadodara         | 133   |   95 |   29 |
|    41 | Allahabad        | 169   |  124 |   27 |
|    42 | Asansol          | 147   |  108 |   27 |
|    43 | Srinagar         | 132** |   96 |   27 |
|    44 | Hyderabad        | 110   |   81 |   26 |
|    45 | Gorakhpur        | 150   |  111 |   26 |
|    46 | Ananthpur        | 78    |   59 |   24 |
|    47 | Ranchi           | 141   |  107 |   24 |
|    48 | Bengaluru        | 92    |   70 |   24 |
|    49 | Akola            | 111   |   85 |   23 |
|    50 | Durg Bhilainagar | 86    |   68 |   21 |
|    51 | Surat            | 130   |  103 |   21 |
|    52 | Noida            | 229   |  182 |   21 |
|    53 | Howrah           | 139   |  111 |   20 |
|    54 | Thane            | 138   |  111 |   20 |
|    55 | Latur            | 82    |   66 |   20 |
|    56 | Nellore          | 64    |   52 |   19 |
|    57 | Gajraula         | 204   |  167 |   18 |
|    58 | Faridabad        | 229** |  190 |   17 |
|    59 | Alwar            | 152   |  127 |   16 |
|    60 | Chittur          | 70    |   59 |   16 |
|    61 | Kala Amb         | 118   |  100 |   15 |
|    62 | Mandi Gobindgarh | 148   |  126 |   15 |
|    63 | Amravati         | 102   |   87 |   15 |
|    64 | Patiala          | 106   |   91 |   14 |
|    65 | Jaipur           | 172   |  148 |   14 |
|    66 | Ongole           | 65    |   56 |   14 |
|    67 | Delhi            | 241   |  208 |   14 |
|    68 | Chandrapur       | 118   |  102 |   14 |
|    69 | Nashik           | 82    |   72 |   12 |
|    70 | Jhansi           | 109   |   96 |   12 |
|    71 | Sangli           | 87    |   77 |   11 |
|    72 | Devanagere       | 74    |   66 |   11 |
|    73 | Kota             | 139   |  124 |   11 |

|   74. | Rajahmundry   |   85 |   76 |   11 |
|-------|---------------|------|------|------|
|    75 | Hubli-Dharwad |   79 |   71 |   10 |
|    76 | Jabalpur      |  101 |   91 |   10 |
|    77 | Ujjain        |   93 |   84 |   10 |
|    78 | Guntur        |   66 |   61 |    8 |
|    79 | Kalinga Nagar |  109 |  101 |    7 |
|    80 | Meerut        |  159 |  149 |    6 |
|    81 | Nagpur        |  100 |   94 |    6 |
|    82 | Eluru         |   72 |   68 |    6 |
|    83 | Madurai       |   72 |   68 |    6 |
|    84 | Damtal        |   55 |   52 |    5 |
|    85 | Haldia        |   92 |   87 |    5 |
|    86 | Anpara        |  175 |  166 |    5 |
|    87 | Badlapur      |  160 |  152 |    5 |
|    88 | Udaipur       |  127 |  121 |    5 |
|    89 | Sangareddy    |   85 |   81 |    5 |
|    90 | Chennai       |   66 |   63 |    5 |
|    91 | Ludhiana      |  168 |  161 |    4 |
|    92 | Pune          |  102 |   98 |    4 |
|    93 | Jamshedpur    |  135 |  130 |    4 |
|    94 | Kolhapur      |   89 |   86 |    3 |
|    95 | Ulhasnagar    |  153 |  149 |    3 |
|    96 | Srikakulam    |   69 |   68 |    1 |
|    97 | Kashipur      |   99 |   98 |    1 |
|    98 | Talcher       |  113 |  113 |    0 |
|    99 | Nalgonda      |   59 |   59 |    0 |
|   100 | Bhopal        |  112 |  113 |   -1 |
|   101 | Sagar         |   73 |   74 |   -1 |
|   102 | Vizianagaram  |   72 |   73 |   -1 |
|   103 | Chandigarh    |  114 |  116 |   -2 |
|   104 | Gulbarga      |   55 |   56 |   -2 |
|   105 | Jalna         |   99 |  102 |   -3 |
|   106 | Patna         |  172 |  178 |   -3 |
|   107 | Korba         |   57 |   59 |   -4 |
|   108 | Paonta Sahib  |   84 |   90 |   -7 |
|   109 | Gwalior       |  126 |  136 |   -8 |
|   110 | Raipur        |   70 |   76 |   -9 |
|   111 | Navi Mumbai   |   88 |   98 |  -11 |
|   112 | Rourkela      |   99 |  111 |  -12 |
|   113 | Muzaffarpur   |  147 |  168 |  -14 |
|   114 | Barrackpore   |   86 |   99 |  -15 |
|   115 | Guwahati      |  103 |  119 |  -16 |

|   116. | Dera Bassi    |   88 |   102 |   -16 |
|--------|---------------|------|-------|-------|
|    117 | Solapur       |   81 |    96 |   -19 |
|    118 | Dewas         |   83 |    99 |   -19 |
|    119 | Indore        |   82 |    99 |   -21 |
|    120 | Vasai Virar   |   99 |   125 |   -26 |
|    121 | Nagaon        |   82 |   107 |   -30 |
|    122 | Aurangabad    |   75 |    98 |   -31 |
|    123 | Gaya          |   79 |   104 |   -32 |
|    124 | Bhubaneswar   |   85 |   114 |   -34 |
|    125 | Jalgaon       |   70 |    97 |   -39 |
|    126 | Cuttack       |   93 |   129 |   -39 |
|    127 | Nalbari       |   87 |   127 |   -46 |
|    128 | Balasore      |   84 |   124 |   -48 |
|    129 | Visakhapatnam |   76 |   120 |   -58 |
|    130 | Angul         |   97 |   167 |   -72 |

** PM10 levels in the FY 2017-18 for Faridabad and Srinagar are not available. PM10 levels of FY 2020-21 for Faridabad and PM10 levels of FY 2018-19 for Srinagar have been considered as a baseline.

* Patancheru non-attainment city has been merged with Hyderabad Urban Agglomeration and accordingly revised number of cities covered under NCAP is 130.

## Steps  taken  by  the  Government  for  controlling  air  pollution  in  coal  mining  areas  of Jharkhand State are as follows:

- (i). Prior Environmental Clearance (EC) is issued under EIA notification, 2006 for coal mines having an area of more than 500 Ha at Central level & for mining having an area of less than  or  equal  to  500  Ha  at  State  level.  Several  conditions  regarding  environmental compliance  along  with  implementation  of  Environmental  Monitoring  Plan  (EMP)  are stipulated in the Environmental Clearance inter-alia include the following:
- a) Construction  of  a  dedicated  pucca  road  for  transportation  of  coal  with  dense plantation and development of greenbelt on either side of the road;
- b) Installation of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations;
- c) Installation of fog cannon (mist sprayer) and sprinklers along the coal transportation route;
- d) Installation of dedicated mechanized system for transportation of coal through close pipe conveyor system;
- e) Dense plantation along mine roads, on overburden dumps and non-dump areas with local species.
- (ii). Air quality standards for coalmines have been notified under environment (protection rules 1986) for pollutants, namely  Suspended  Particulate Matter, Respirable  Suspended Particulate Matter, Sulphur Dioxide, Oxides of Nitrogen and are enforced by the respective State  Pollution  Control  Board  (SPCB)  through  consent  mechanism  under  the  Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
- (iii). Under  National  Clean  Air  Programme  launched  by  MoEF&CC,  Dhanbad,  Ranchi  and Jamshedpur cities have prepared city action plan to take measures to improve air quality which  includes  measures  for  improving  air  quality  in  coal  mining  operations  and transportation of coal.
- (iv). As  part  of  NCAP,  an  amount  of  Rs.  279.44  crore  was  provided  under  XV th Finance Commission Million Plus Cities Challenge Grant to cities of Jharkhand (Dhanbad, Ranchi, and  Jamshedpur)  during  2019-20  till  2023-24  to  implement  air  quality  improvement measures.
- (v). Coal mines have installed online monitoring system as per guidelines of CPCB.
- (vi). Nagar Nigam has intensified regulatory oversight of mining operations to ensure adherence to environmental standards.
- (vii). Regular advisories have been issued and consultative meetings held with mining units to promote awareness and accountability.
- (viii). 21 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations have been installed to monitor and capture air pollution from different sources including mining.
- (ix). State  Pollution  Control  Board  disseminates  weekly  air  quality  bulletin  to  generate awareness among public regarding air quality recorded during the week.

***