National Clean Air Programme

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

An analysis by the environmental think tank, Centre for Science and Environment, reported “barely any difference” in trends in particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) between the group of cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and those outside its ambit.

• The covers 132 of India’s most polluted or so-called non-attainment cities. 
• This is defined as a city whose air quality did not meet the national ambient air quality standards of 2011 to 2015. 
• The NCAP launched in 2019 aims to bring a 20%-30% reduction in pollution levels from PM2.5 and PM10 particles by 2024, using 2017 pollution levels as a base.
• Cities are required to quantify improvement starting 2020-21, which requires 15% and more reduction in the annual average PM10 concentration and a concurrent increase in “good air” days to at least 200. 
• The CSE in its national analysis of PM2.5 levels in cities for which data is available found that between 2019 and 2021, only 14 of 43 (NCAP) cities registered a 10% or more reduction in their PM2.5 level between 2019 and 2021. 
• Only 43 cities, said the CSE, were considered as they had adequate data to scientifically establish a long-term trend.
• On the other hand, out of 46 non-NCAP cities with adequate data, 21 recorded significant improvement in their annual PM2.5 value with 5% or more decline between 2019 and 2021. 
• There were 16 NCAP cities and 15 non-NCAP cities that registered a significant increase in their annual PM2.5 levels with near identical numbers.
• There is hardly any difference between the performance of NCAP and non-NCAP cities between 2019 and 2021.
• Cities in Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra dominated the list of cities which registered a significant increase in PM2.5 levels between 2019 and 2021. 
• Chennai, Varanasi and Pune show the most improvement among NCAP cities. 
• But unlike cities with increasing pollution level which have a very clear regional pattern, there was no regional pattern seen among cities reporting significant improvement in their air quality, the CSE analysis noted.
• The cities of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat dominate the list of non-NCAP cities that have registered significant increase in air pollution levels.

National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) 

• It was launched by the government to tackle the increasing air pollution problem across the country.
• Overall objective of the NCAP is comprehensive mitigation actions for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution besides augmenting the air quality monitoring network across the country and strengthening the awareness and capacity building activities.
• NCAP is the first ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target.
• NCAP’s focus on ‘city based plans’ is a shift from earlier air pollution mitigation schemes which were based on national strategies. 
• Also air pollution impact on health will be included in making plans, which is a novel feature of the scheme.

Features of the scheme:

• NCAP is a five-year action plan with 2019 as the first year. It aims at 20%–30% reduction of PM5and PM10 concentration by 2024, taking 2017 as the base year for the comparison of concentration. It targets 102 non-attainment cities.
• The NCAP will be institutionalized by respective ministries. At the Centre, Apex Committee at the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change and at the State level, Chief Secretary Level Committee will be constituted.
• Sectoral working groups, national level Project Monitoring Unit and Project Implementation Unit.
• Existing programmes of government, in reference to climate change, including the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) will be dovetailed while executing NCAP.
• Number of monitoring stations in the country will be increased including rural monitoring stations, technology support, emphasis on awareness and capacity building initiatives and trained manpower and regular inspection drives will be initiated.
• Collaboration between various levels of governments and civil society: The approach for NCAP includes coordination between:
• Relevant central ministries among themselves like Ministries of Road Transport and Highway, Petroleum and Natural Gas, New and Renewable Energy, NITI Aayog, CPCB and experts from the industry and civil society etc.
• Centre and state governments and local bodies.Partnership with international organizations, and leading technical and research institutions.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards

• National Ambient Air Quality Standards are the standards for ambient air quality set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
• The CPCB has been conferred this power by the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• Ambient Air Quality Standards contains 12 pollutants.

The pollutants that are covered under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards include:

• Sulphur dioxide (SO2),
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2),
• The particulate matter having a size less than 10 microns (PM10),
• The particulate matter having a size less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5),
• Ozone
• Lead
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Arsenic
• Nickel
• Benzene
• Ammonia, and
• Benzopyrene