95 out of 131 cities show improvement in air quality : Govt data

Tags: National National News

According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change the air quality of 95 cities out of 131 cities have improved under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• Varanasi recorded the highest drop of 53% in the concentration of PM10 in 2021-22 as compared to the 2017 baseline.

• The annual PM10 concentration of Varanasi in 2017 was 244 micrograms per cubic metre, according to ministry data.

• By 2021-22, the air pollutant in Varanasi has come down to 144 micrograms per cubic metre.

• Delhi's PM10 annual average concentration was 241 micrograms per cubic meter in 2017, it declined to 196 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021-22, showing a decline of 18.6%.

• Data from the ministry shows that all metropolitan cities - Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad - have shown significant improvement in air quality in 2021-22 as compared to 2017.

Deterioration in air quality in 27 cities :

• According to the report, 27 cities have seen a decline in air quality, with Chhattisgarh's Korba district having the worst air quality.

• Among the states, Madhya Pradesh is the worst performer, as the air quality of six out of seven cities in the state has deteriorated.

• Howrah and Durgapur in West Bengal, Aurangabad and Thane in Maharashtra, Gaya in Bihar, Rajkot and Vadodara in Gujarat, Bhubaneshwar (Odisha), Patiala (Punjab) and Jammu also witnessed deterioration in air quality.

Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change -  Bhupender Yadav