Meghalaya: Byrnihat has emerged as India's most polluted city for the year 2023

MEGHALAYA: According to a recent study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Byrnihat in Meghalaya has been identified as the leading city with serious pollution issues across India for 2023. It is noteworthy that Delhi, known commonly for its severe winter air quality problems came eighth on this list.

The examination evaluated data from 227 cities that provided air quality information for more than 75% of the days in the year 2023. The results were alarming, revealing Byrnihat as the most concerning city, followed closely by Begusarai in Bihar and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh which secured second and third positions respectively.

It was surprising to see Delhi ranked eighth when it has consistently battled high levels of pollution during the winter season. An examination revealed that 85 cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) had concerning air quality conditions, with a worrying observation being that PM10 concentrations exceeded 60 microgrammes per cubic meter - which is beyond the set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)- in 78 out of these locations.

The NCAP was launched in 2019 with a goal of decreasing PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 20-30% before 2024 in the 131 cities that failed to meet air quality standards between 2011 and 2015. Nonetheless, as per the report, only forty-four out of these non-compliant urban areas had finished conducting source apportionment studies after five years under this initiative's implementation.

Expressing concern over the inefficient allocation of funds, Sunil Dahia, an analyst at CREA for South Asia noted that 64% of NCAP's allocated funds were utilized in ineffective solutions such as smog guns and dust mitigation due to the absence of required studies. These practices have resulted in public finances being used ineffectively.

According to the report, just 37 cities covered by NCAP met the program's annual targets for PM10 levels. Surprisingly, out of the 118 cities not included in NCAP coverage, many failed to meet national air quality standards for PM10 - indicating that they were not necessarily cleaner than their counterparts under the program's purview.

Of the 50 most polluted cities, Bihar had the highest number with a total of 18 while Haryana and Rajasthan each had eight. The PM10 concentration in these top ten contaminated areas surpassed Indian NAAQS by three to five times and exceeded WHO limits by as much as thirteen to twenty-fold. Such figures highlight an acute environmental crisis plaguing localities within these regions that demands immediate attention and action.

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