On the National Clean Air Programme (GS Paper 3, Environment)
Context:
- When the Indian government launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019, it was to cut the concentration of atmospheric Particulate Matter (PM) by 20-30% by 2024, from 2017 levels. This was later revised to 40% by 2026.
NCAP and issues
- Under NCAP, cities continuously violating annual PM levels in India need to prepare and implement annual Clean Air Action Plans (CAAPs).
- To facilitate this, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has allocated funds.
- Most cities proactively submitted their CAAPs yet their implementation has been inconsistent.
- On average, only 60% of the allocated funds have been used thus far, according to the Ministry, with 27% of cities spending less than 30% of their designated budgets.
- Implementation delays hinder NCAP’s success, particularly delays in approvals from the competent authorities.
- There is also a lack of standard operating procedures for the implementation process.
- Time-consuming tasks required to implement control measures and the absence of well-defined timelines create further delays.
- Yet other reasons include bureaucratic red-tape and lingering doubts regarding the effectiveness of proposed mitigation measures.
- After the recent findings over the inefficacy of outdoor smog towers, decision-makers’ hesitation is justified.
- But overcoming this also requires a systemic approach based on Emissions Inventory (EI), Air Quality (AQ) modelling, and Source Apportionment (SA).
How can scientific tools help?
- EI and SA studies are critical to identify and understand the origins of pollution.
- EIs provide insights into local pollution sources and their contributions, allowing experts to forecast future emissions based on demographic shifts and technological advancements across sectors, among other factors.
- EIs also help shape targeted pollution control strategies. They have their limitations, too, particularly in assessing the impact of transboundary pollution sources — such as when determining the effect of stubble-burning outside Delhi on the city’s air quality.
- SA studies offer a detailed analysis of contributions from various pollution sources, including those located afar.
- But SA studies can’t distinguish between the origins of pollution, like, say, emissions from diesel trucks 200 m away and 20 km away, because diesel emissions have similar chemical signatures.
- These gaps can be bridged through AQ modelling, which informs our understanding of pollution dispersion, including from distant sources.
Suggestions
- Ideally, the cities should look into EI and SA data to pinpoint air pollutants and prepare mitigation measures targeting each polluting activity.
- Based on the potential and infrastructure requirements, cities need to set proper yearly targets and fund them.
- Moreover, the NCAP’s reliance on concentration data — a measure of population exposure to harmful pollution — further complicates the situation.
- Pollution from high-emitting industries and other sources outside city limits, carried into urban areas by winds complicates urban air-quality management.
- Many existing control measures focus only on primary PM emissions, neglecting their secondary precursors.
- A shift towards comprehensive strategies addressing both primary and secondary pollutants is thus important.
- Beyond the need for data and models, swift implementation on the ground is essential.
- For this, implementation agencies should seek to reduce bureaucratic red tape by utilising shared, standardised technical evaluations.
- As NCAP funding is linked with the performance of cities (based on the annual average PM concentration reduction), prior budgeting and time management play crucial roles.
- Technical feasibility, budgeting, and time estimates need to be part of the initial plans.
Way forward
- The journey towards cleaner air in India, as charted by NCAP, will be difficult but is necessary.
- NCAP’s success hinges on a multifaceted approach that combines rigorous scientific studies, strategic funds, and swift and effective implementation of mitigation measures.
