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Expressing interest implicit rising contamination levels, the Congress connected Sunday (March 8, 2026) demanded an urgent reappraisal and upgradation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 2009, and asserted that they indispensable beryllium enforced arsenic good arsenic monitored much efficaciously everywhere.
Taking a swipe astatine Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress wide caput in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "PM 56-inch has been exposed, PM 2.5 is for real." Mr. Ramesh besides said the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) itself needs a laser-like absorption connected PM2.5.
"PM2.5 that is, particulate substance with a diameter of little than 2.5 micrometers oregon little measured successful micrograms per cubic metre of aerial arsenic emerged arsenic the origin for a terrible environment-public wellness situation crossed the country," the erstwhile Environment Minister said connected X.
A survey published in The Lancet Planetary Health successful December 2024, based connected information from 655 districts implicit 2009-2019, recovered that each 10 microgram per cubic metre summation successful PM2.5 attraction leads to an 8.6% summation successful mortality, Ramesh pointed out.
The 2025 Lancet Countdown estimates that astir 17.2 lakh Indians dice each twelvemonth from vulnerability to PM2.5, a 38% summation since 2010, helium said.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has repeatedly told Parliament successful 2024, 2025 and again successful 2026 that deaths connected relationship of aerial contamination "cannot beryllium conclusively established", helium pointed out.
Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Health Ministry's ain probe body, has endorsed the Lancet findings, attributing 12.4 lakh deaths successful 2017 to aerial pollution, that is 12.5% of each deaths that year, Mr. Ramesh said.
Now, the Centre for Research connected Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has done a elaborate investigation of the information generated by the continuous ambient aerial prime monitoring stations operated by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), helium said, adding that the information covers the play October 1, 2025 to February 2026 for 238 cities.
The conclusions are precise disturbing and should beryllium yet different wake-up telephone to each those who are successful denial mode, helium said.
Citing the analysis, Mr. Ramesh said nary of the 238 cities complied with the WHO harmless guidelines for PM2.5.
"In 204 of the 238 cities PM2.5 concentrations were supra the levels acceptable by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that were promulgated mode backmost successful November 2009. Subsequently, the WHO announced its updated harmless line successful September 2021," Mr. Ramesh said.
The Indian modular for the yearly mean attraction of PM2.5 is present 8 times weaker than the WHO guideline, helium said.
The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched successful 2019 has made precise small interaction connected PM2.5 concentrations, helium claimed.
PM2.5 concentrations complied with the NAAQS, 2009 harmless level lone successful 12 of the 96 NCAP cities, Mr. Ramesh pointed out.
"Over Rs 13,400 crore has been released nether NCAP and XV Finance Commission grants since inception, with 68% spent connected roadworthy particulate management.The NCAP benchmarks itself against PM10, the coarser and little lethal pollutant, not PM2.5," helium said.
While the apical polluted cities are successful the National Capital Region covering Delhi and parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, different States similar Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh person a precise precocious proportionality of polluted cities that transcend the standards, Mr. Ramesh said.
There are 50 cities wherever continuous information availability is little than 80%, portion determination are immoderate monitoring stations wherever nary information was disposable for adjacent a azygous day, Mr. Ramesh said.
"The National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 2009 request urgent reappraisal and upgradation. They besides indispensable beryllium enforced and monitored much efficaciously everywhere. In addition, the NCAP itself needs a laser-like absorption connected PM2.5," the Congress person asserted.
