Emissions In NCAP Cities Projected To Climb 11% By 2030: Study
The findings indicate that only eight of these cities are likely to achieve a 40% reduction in four major pollutants—PM10, PM2.5, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides—by 2030.
Local emissions in most cities under the National Clean Air Programme are projected to rise by at least 11% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, according to a new study.
Conducted by the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, the study analysed 76 out of the 131 NCAP cities over a period of 2.5 years.
The findings indicate that only eight of these cities are likely to achieve a 40% reduction in four major pollutants—PM10, PM2.5, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides—by 2030.
Anirban Banerjee, project lead at CSTEP, commented, "Our study shows that most NCAP cities will not meet the 40% reduction target for local emissions by 2030."
The study also highlights that local emissions in the examined cities are expected to increase by 11% to 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, exacerbating pollution levels significantly.
The study estimated the share of the four major pollutants for the base year 2019 and projected their contributions from different sources until 2030. These outcomes were validated against transport and domestic fuel consumption surveys conducted in over 70% of the studied cities.
The findings suggest that, without targeted interventions, local emissions will likely rise by 2030.
The study recommends prioritising targeted interventions for major emission sources such as industries, transportation, construction, and open burning in these cities to meet NCAP targets and achieve cleaner air.
A portal visualising the study's findings will be launched on Wednesday at the sixth edition of the India Clean Air Summit, a premier conference on air pollution organised by CSTEP, taking place from Aug. 26–30.
Launched in 2019, the NCAP is India's first national initiative to set clean air targets, aiming for a 20–30% reduction in PM10 pollution by 2024, with 2017 as the base year. The revised target is a 40% reduction by 2026, using 2019–20 as the base year.
(With Input From PTI)
