Policy Update
Naushaba
Background
The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) at the start of 2019 to improve the air quality of 131 cities across 24 states/UTs in India. It is the first-ever effort by the Indian government to provide a national-level framework with time-bound reduction.
India is the third most polluted country in the world. Out of the 50 most polluted cities, 42 were in India according to the IQAir report 2023. With the right to a healthy environment as part of Article 21, the programme seeks to reduce the concentration of atmospheric Particulate Matter (PM) by 20-30% by 2024. This was later revised to 40% and to be achieved by the year 2025-26.
Aims of the NCAP
- To ensure rigorous implementation of mitigation strategies aimed at prevention, control and reduction of air pollution.
- To enhance and develop a robust and efficient ambient air quality monitoring network across the country for a comprehensive and reliable database.
- To increase public awareness and enhance capacity-building through data dissemination and public outreach programmes to promote inclusive public participation as well as ensuring trained manpower and infrastructure on air pollution.
Functioning
The National Clean Air Programme covers up to 123 Non-Attainment Cities (NACSs) and other eight million-plus cities designated under the 15th Finance Commission as part of the Million Plus Cities Challenge Fund (MPCCF). Cities will be put under the non-attainment category, if they fail to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM 10 over a period of five years. For this period, the government has taken various initiatives to improve air quality by checking on vehicular emissions, Industrial emissions and air pollution due to dust and burning of waste. Major among them are:
- Leapfrogging from BS-IV to BS-VI norms
- Network of metro rails for public transport
- Development of Eastern Peripheral Expressway & Western Peripheral Expressway
- Ban on 10-year-old diesel vehicles
- Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME)
- Adopting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework
- Efficient expansion of air quality monitoring network
Furthermore, various schemes of different Ministries/ departments aimed at improving air quality in urban centers and across the country are converged for better working. These include Urban Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, FAME, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), National Mission for Green India, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy – Schemes for renewable energy and MSW projects and others.
Performance
If seen from the earlier target of a 40% reduction by 2024, most of the major cities in India are way behind the benchmark. A study conducted by NCAP tracker (a joint project by research-based consulting and capacity-building initiative Climate Trends and a group of climate scientists and engineers Respirer Living Sciences) based on the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) presented a gloomy picture of NCAP. In over 22 cities, the PM10 level has deteriorated over the past five years, while only 8 cities out of 46 have met the initial target.
From FY 2019-20 till FY 2023-24 (till 15th Dec) under NCAP, an amount of ~Rs 9650 Cr was released to 131 cities. Out of which an amount of Rs 1292.50 Cr has been released to cities which are funded under NCAP. Of the latter, an amount of Rs 480.92 Cr has been utilised.
Furthermore, an amount of Rs 8357.51 Cr has been released to the cities that are funded under the Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV-FC), under which an amount of Rs 5835.03 Cr (60% )has been utilised for improvement in air quality. Of this 60% utilised funds, 27% of cities have spent less than 30% of their designated budgets with Visakhapatnam and Bengaluru at 0% and 1% of their NCAP funds, respectively.
According to the report released by NCAP, Srinagar was declared the cleanest city with a PM 2.5 concentration of 26.33 ug/m3 and Kohima was the cleanest city in terms of PM10 concentration with 26.77 ug/m3 in the year 2022. While Gorakhpur in UP was featured in the cleanest cities list for both PM 2.5 and PM 10. Many of the cities under the non-attainment list breached the annual permissible limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) for PM 10. For the capital Delhi, PM 2.5 level was improved in 2022 yet it ranked as the most polluted.
Moreover, under NCAP, cities which continuously violate annual PM levels are required to prepare and implement annual Clean Air Action Plans (CAAPs). Most of the cities have proactively submitted their CAAPs, however, these have not been implemented effectively.
Impact
NCAP has seen positive growth but a slowed one. Experts suggest that growth has been marginal but some cities across India have seen significant improvement in air quality. As of 2023, 90 cities out of 131 cities have shown improvement in air quality in terms of annual PM10 concentrations in FY 2022-23 with respect to the baseline of FY 2017-18. Delhi Environment Department informed that the annual PM2.5 concentration saw a 17% reduction from 128 micrograms per cubic metre in 2018 to 106 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023 and a 22% reduction in PM10 levels.
In terms of funding, under NCAP a significant amount of Rs 9650 Cr has been allocated to 131 cities for improvement of air quality, though implementation has been a major issue for these cities as only 60% of it has been put to use by these states. The vision of NCAP is in the right direction which requires consistent efforts to become a reality. City Action Plans focussing upon key polluting sources of each city are prepared, followed and implemented by Urban Local Bodies of these cities.
To curtail vehicular emissions BS-VI fuel standards have been implemented in the year 2020 across the country. At the same time, the use of pet coke and furnace oil as fuel has been put on the ban list in the year 2018 to check on industrial emissions. Installation of various Vapour Recovery Systems (VRS) at petrol stations has been on the rise. Public Grievance Redressal Portal and helpline have also been set up by all these 131 cities to address public complaints of air pollution in a timely manner. Furthermore, Emergency Response Systems have been developed for taking action in air emergencies
According to Climate Trends, “The NCAP has made noteworthy progress in tackling air pollution, witnessing notable reductions in PM2.5 and PM10 levels in top polluted cities, but persistent challenges exist, with some urban areas facing an uptick in pollution concentrations.” Additionally, Sachchida N Tripathi, a professor and air pollution expert has pointed out that “While many cities could not achieve desirable results yet, there has been significant improvement in capacity development, monitoring, fund flow and overall awareness in identifying air pollution as a key agenda.”
Emerging Issues
NCAP has made slow but significant strides to provide Indian cities with clean air. Reduction in PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentration has been seen across a few cities but not all despite huge funding and support. Major problems lie in the areas of:
- Effective Implementation and Enforcement
- Unequal distribution of resources across cities
- Long-term goals aligning with International standards
- Excessive Public Awareness and Engagement
- Focusing on Technological and Innovative Solutions
So far, the issue of effective implementation and enforcement has delayed NCAP’s success, particularly in areas of approval from the competent authorities. As seen, despite about Rs 9,650 crore being pumped into controlling air pollution across 131 non-attainment cities, only 60% was utilised by these cities. It has also been noted that NCAP benefits have not been reaching all cities equally, creating an uneven playing field and limiting its overall impact. Since NCAP funding is linked with the performance of the cities there is a need to reduce red-tapism and bureaucratic hurdles by preparing a pre-plan for the efficient utilisation of resources.
NCAP extended its deadline to reduce the concentration of atmospheric Particulate Matter (PM) to 40% by the year 2025-26. Earlier it was set to reduce the concentration of PM20-30% by 2024. This showcases the need for formulating long-term goals, solely focussing on short-term goals leads to undesirable results and a waste of time and resources. The government instead of focusing on creating policies till their term in office should rather work on framing attainable and sustainable parameters. So that work done by the previous government does not go to waste and further work can be done to achieve the long-term sustainable goals.
There is also a need to frame standard operating procedures for the proper implementation process with well-defined timelines, long-term goals and scientific data models like Emissions Inventory (EI) and Source Apportionment (SA) to meet the targets effectively rather than missing them and their due dates. In addition to continuous funding, NCAP must look into the need for public-private partnerships which can help bridge the resource gap as well unequal distribution of resources across cities. Finally, raising public awareness about the serious health issues related to air pollution should form the base of the superstructure of NCAP. Creating awareness and educating individuals should be coupled with strategies to encourage behaviour change.
Way Forward
Taking on the right to a healthy environment as part of Article 21, the National Clean Air Programme of 2019 aims to ameliorate the air quality of various cities in India. Launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the mission seeks to achieve a 20-30% reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 levels by 2024, which was later revised to a 40% reduction by 2025-26. NCAP focuses on areas of rigorous implementation of mitigation strategies to prevent, control and reduce air pollution. It works towards enhancing and developing a robust and efficient ambient air quality monitoring network across the country for a comprehensive and reliable database.
Despite significant challenges from policy making to the implementation process, NCAP has been a success so far for a fast-growing developing India. With the proper allocation of funds, as of 2023, 90 cities out of 131 cities have shown improvement in air quality in terms of annual PM10 concentrations in FY 2022-23 to the baseline of FY 2017-18. The national Delhi has too shown some changes, if not significant but such improvements set the base for future effectiveness.
The National Clean Air Programme is a significant step towards achieving cleaner air and improving public health in India. Integrating it into the lives of people can further help the country achieve its goal of curbing air pollution and providing a healthy environment to breathe and enjoy for its citizens.
References
- National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to improve air quality in 131 cities by engaging all stakeholders. (2024, June 23). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Press Information Bureau. Retrieved June 24, 27 C.E., from https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1909910
- Air quality in India. (2024, June 23). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; IQ AIR. Retrieved June 24, 27 C.E., from https://www.iqair.com/in-en/india
- Allocation of funds to 131 cities under the National Clean Air Programme to combat air pollution. (2023, December 21). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Press Information Bureau. Retrieved June 24, 26 C.E., from https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1989207
- National Clean Air Programme Document. (2019). In PRANA Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities. Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change. Retrieved June 24, 27 C.E., from https://prana.cpcb.gov.in/#/resources
- Guidelines (Data Source : CPCB). (n.d.). PRANA Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities; PRANA Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities. Retrieved June 24, 27 C.E., from https://prana.cpcb.gov.in/#/resources
- NATIONAL CLEAN AIR PROGRAMME. (2022). In PARLIAMENT LIBRARY AND REFERENCE, RESEARCH, DOCUMENTATION AND INFORMATION SERVICE (LARRDIS) (No. 21/ RN/Ref/July/2022). Retrieved June 26, 2024, from https://loksabhadocs.nic.in/Refinput/New_Reference_Notes/English/15072022_173626_102120463.pdf
- Tracing the Hazy Air 2024: Progress Report on National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). (2024). In CREA Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. CREA Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Retrieved June 28, 2024, from https://energyandcleanair.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Tracing-the-Hazy-Air-2024-Progress-Report-on-National-Clean-Air-Programme-NCAP.pdf
About the Contributor: Naushaba (she/her/hers) is a research intern at the Impact and Policy Research Institute and a postgraduate student of the Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia. Her research interests lie in Gender Studies, Global Politics, Climate Change and Sustainable Development.
Acknowledgment: The author would like to express sincere gratitude to Dr. Arjun Kumar, Ms Aashnaa, Ms Aasthaba Jadeja and Ms Lakshita for their invaluable contributions into this article. Their support, guidance, and expertise were instrumental in its completion.
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