Jharia In Jharkhand Is The Most Polluted City In India; Delhi, Noida & Ghaziabad Among Top 10

The coal-belching city of Jharia in Jharkhand is the most polluted in India, while Dhanbad, known for its rich coal reserves and industries, is the second-most polluted city in the country, according to a Greenpeace India report.

According to the fourth Airpocalypse report by Greenpeace India, 231 Indian cities out of 287 had air pollution levels exceeded the 60 ?g/m3 limits for PM10 as prescribed under National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

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The report stated that the average PM10 level in Jharia was 322 micrograms per cubic metre in 2018, more than six times the safe limits of 0-60. Particulate matter less than 10 micrometers (PM 10) in diameter that can enter the lungs and even the bloodstream.

The report also said that Delhi had shown signs of improvement compared to the last two years but still remains more than 3.5 times more polluted than the NAAQS and more than 11 times the WHO prescribed limits for PM10.

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The average of PM10 levels in Delhi had reduced from 240 micrograms per cubic metre in 2017 to 225 in 2018. Delhi is the 10th-most polluted city in India. It was at the eighth spot a year ago.

It also noted that six of the top-10 polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh, namely Noida, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Allahabad, Moradabad, and Firozabad. Lunglei in Mizoram is the least polluted followed by Meghalaya's Dowki, according to the report.

As far as states are concerned almost all states including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Bihar have a bigger number of non-attainment cities compared to the current number included under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

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Commenting on the worsening state of affairs, Greenpeace India¡¯s Senior Campaigner Avinash Chanchal said, ¡° It¡¯s worrying to see that more than 80% cities had PM10 levels exceeding the 60 ?g/m3 limits for PM10 prescribed under National Ambient Air Quality Standards. If we want to make NCAP truly a ¡®national program¡¯, then we have to include all polluted cities into it and implement it with the addition of specific pollution and emission reduction targets in a time bound manner.¡±

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"The city level action plans provided by the non-attainment cities under NCAP also lacks regional and air-shed level approach and are too city centric i.e, of course vehicular emissions within the city are a part of the problem but the major emitters in the nearby regions should not be ignored. More emphasis needs to be laid on the regional and air-shed approach for air quality control,¡± he added.