Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air

Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air

Tracing the Hazy Air 2025: Progress Report on National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched in 2019 to improve air quality in India by reducing particulate matter (PM) concentrations by 20-30% by 2024. It was later extended to 2026 with a revised target of a 40% reduction in PM10 levels compared to 2017 (NCAP, 2019).

The programme has faced challenges and shortcomings, as highlighted in the preceding ‘Tracing the Hazy Air’ 2022, 2023, and 2024 reviews by CREA. This latest report assesses the progress made under NCAP and analyses ambient air quality trends for 2024. It is crucial to examine how the current progress aligns with the initial goals, which serve as interim milestones toward achieving the 40% reduction target by 2026. The report highlights various NCAP actions across the categories listed below:

Air quality progress in NCAP cities

Out of 130 cities, 28 still do not have continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS). Among the 102 cities that do have monitoring stations, only 97 cities reported 80% or more PM10 data coverage. 

Of these 97 NCAP cities, 29 recorded an increase in PM10 concentrations. Only 41 cities out of the 97 achieved the initial NCAP target of a 20-30% reduction in PM10 levels.

Also, 61 of the 68 cities that reported a reduction still had PM10 concentrations exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

Air quality across India

PM10 concentration:

In 2024, out of 253 cities in India with 80% or more PM10 data, 206 cities exceeded the NAAQS for PM10, while 47 cities met the standard. 

Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, was the most polluted city in India, with an annual average PM10 concentration of 236 µg/m³, followed by Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh (226 µg/m³), and Delhi (211 µg/m³).

Out of the 76 cities in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) with CAAQMS, 74 exceed the NAAQS. Similarly, in the National Capital Region (NCR), all 28 cities exceed the NAAQS.

Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Haryana, Odisha, Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat and Uttarakhand states had all the monitored cities exceeding PM10 NAAQS.

PM2.5 concentration: 

Out of 256 cities with 80% or more PM2.5 data, 150 cities exceeded the NAAQS for PM2.5, while 106 cities met the standard. 

Byrnihat (Assam), Delhi, and Gurgaon (Haryana) ranked as the top three most polluted cities in India, with annual PM2.5 concentrations of 126 µg/m³, 105 µg/m³, and 91 µg/m³, respectively.

Out of 78 cities in the IGP, 64 exceed the NAAQS, while 14 comply with the standard. In the NCR, 27 out of 29 cities exceed the NAAQS, with only 2 meeting the standard.

State level analysis showed that all 8 monitored cities in Punjab exceeded PM2.5 NAAQS. Also, the exceedance was high in Haryana (22 cities exceed NAAQS out of 24 monitored cities), Bihar (20 out of 23), Odisha (14 out of 16), Rajasthan (26 out of 36), Maharashtra (18 out of 31), Uttar Pradesh (13 out of 20), Madhya Pradesh (8 out of 14), West Bengal (5 out of 7), and Assam (4 out of 6).

Funding 

Despite ₹11,211 crore (approximately USD $1.3 million) being released under NCAP and Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV-FC) funds during 2019-2025, only 68% (₹7,594 crore) has been utilised. 

The NCAP funds have a utilisation rate of just 63% (₹1,011 crore of ₹1,615 crore), while XV-FC grants show a marginally better, yet suboptimal, 69% rate (₹6,582 crore of ₹9,595 crore). 

A disproportionate 67% of funds have been allocated to road dust management, while industries, domestic fuel, and public outreach each received just 1%. Capacity building and monitoring, crucial for long-term solutions, accounted for only 4%. This skewed prioritization highlights the lack of a holistic strategy, with key contributors like industries and biomass burning remaining underfunded.

Monitoring network

In 2024, India had 1,524 air quality monitoring stations, including 558 CAAQMS and 966 manual stations, covering 550 cities across 28 states and 7 UTs. This marks an increase of 62 stations compared to 2023. 

However, the NCAP target of 1,500 manual stations by 2024 remains unmet, with a shortfall of 534 stations.

Despite the increased installation of CAAQMS, data quality remains a concern due to poor maintenance and non-compliance with CPCB siting guidelines.

The integration of CAAQMS and NAMP data for NCAP reports raises concerns about data integrity, as the continuous, high-quality CAAQMS data may be compromised by the sporadic and less reliable NAMP data, necessitating a comparison to evaluate its influence.

Source apportionment

According to the NCAP implementation committee’s minutes of meeting, only 6 cities completed source apportionment studies in 2024, bringing the total to 50 out of 130 cities compared to 44 last year. 

However, the Portal for Regulation of Air-pollution in Non-Attainment cities (PRANA) indicates that only 40 cities have reported completion of their studies, with the rest yet to update their databases. Among these, only 17 cities have published detailed reports, while the others have not uploaded their results.

Awareness and capacity building

Between 2019 and 2024, 1,400 public awareness programs were conducted, but media sensitisation and consistent outreach faced challenges. On capacity building, only 62 programs were implemented during this period, reflecting gaps in institutional readiness. In the current financial year, the pace of such efforts has further slowed, highlighting the need for more robust initiatives.

Recommendations

Prioritise PM2.5 over PM10: While PM2.5 is more harmful and should be prioritised, present NCAP is focused on PM10. This highlights a lack of focus on health-driven priorities and delayed efforts to tackle PM2.5 pollution. NCAP 2.0 must address this oversight and should shift its primary focus to PM2.5. This would ensure targeted interventions to address the pollutant with the most severe health and environmental impacts. PM10 data may still be collected for broader air quality assessments, but policy and actions should prioritise PM2.5 control.

Revise the list of non-attainment cities: With a growing number of cities exceeding air quality standards, NCAP 2.0 should revise and update the list of non-attainment cities every two years. The current static list, unchanged since NCAP’s inception, fails to capture emerging non-attainment cities and does not allow successful cities to graduate from the program. 

Enforce load reduction through stricter emission standards: As fuel consumption continues to rise across sectors, NCAP 2.0 must enforce stricter emission standards and mandate robust penalties for non-compliance. The weak enforcement mechanisms under the current NCAP and delays in implementing critical measures, such as Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) at thermal power plants, have allowed unchecked emissions to persist. Stronger regulatory oversight is essential to achieve significant reductions at the source.

Allocate funding based on source apportionment studies: Funding decisions in NCAP 2.0 should be guided by insights from source apportionment studies, which are critical for identifying key pollution sources and designing targeted interventions. However, after six years of NCAP, only 50 out of 130 cities have completed these studies, reflecting poor planning and inefficiency. Accelerating these studies and mandating their completion for all non-attainment cities will ensure evidence-based actions and effective utilisation of resources.

Adopt an airshed approach for regional clusters: If non-attainment cities are concentrated within specific regions, an airshed-based governance model should be adopted to promote inter-state and regional collaboration. Recognizing the transboundary nature of air pollution, this approach enables coordinated interventions across the affected airshed. The Apex Committee under NCAP has already recommended the preparation of a Regional Action Plan for IGP States/UTs, and the Ministry has initiated discussions with eight IGP States/UTs. NCAP 2.0 must ensure these plans are implemented effectively, with clear accountability mechanisms and adequate funding, to address transboundary pollution challenges comprehensively across the region.

9 January 2025

Manojkumar N; Niveditha Muruganandam

India