NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality continues to worsen, with a new report revealing that the national capital was the second most polluted city in India in 2024. This disturbing trend is part of a larger pattern of deteriorating air quality in Delhi over the past few years
Delhi, at 107 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3), was only second to Meghalaya’s Byrnihat (127.3 μg/m3) in Assam. These two were among the most polluted in 2024, along with Gurugram, Faridabad, Sri Ganganagar, and Greater Noida, highlighting areas that need urgent attention.
A climate-tech startup, Respirer Living Sciences (RLS), prepared the report after analysing the data on the sixth-anniversary of National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) cities in India. The RLS is providing field support to IIT Kanpur in monitoring 700 sensors monitoring air pollution in UP and Bihar.
However, all was not dull. There were some bright spots too.
As per the report, air pollution in India’s cities has reduced by 27 % in the past five years. Varanasi emerged at the top, where air quality improved substantially. Besides, southern Indian cities fare better than north and central Indian cities for improving air quality.
The NCAP targets a 40% reduction in PM levels by 2026 after revising its initial goal of 20-30% by 2024. Covering 131 cities, including 82 NCAP-designated ones, the programme focuses on reducing particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations through multi-sectoral interventions.
The study using data from CPCB and Respirer’s AtlasAQ Platform reveals that NCAP cities demonstrated a 24.45% improvement in average particulate matter (PM) levels, with reductions from 62.57 µg/m³ in 2019 to 47.27 µg/m³ in 2024.
In comparison, the average PM levels across all monitored cities in India dropped by 26.84%, from 60.87 µg/m³ to 44.53 µg/m³ over the same period.
Cities like Varanasi (-76.4%), Moradabad (-58%), and Kalaburagi (-57.2%) lead the way in PM reduction. The report pointed out that Varanasi’s success stems from stricter vehicular emission controls and enhanced public transport systems.