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The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has sanctioned projects to assess impact of air pollution on human health in 20 cities as part of the National Environmental Health Profile Study. The projects include regulatory action, close monitoring and ground-level implementation, and technical interventions.
The National Environmental Health Profile Study is a comprehensive assessment of the environmental factors that could affect public health in a specific region. These include:
- Estimating mercury levels and exposure for pregnant women and newborns in selected coastal and south Indian cities
- Assessing air pollution in Tiruchirappalli
- Checking the health impact of traffic emissions and Diwali firecrackers in Delhi
- Assessing the affects of burning crops near residential
No study has been undertaken to assess the impact of air pollution on climate change, government said.
The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in January 2019, initially aimed to reduce particulate matter concentrations by 20-30% in 131 cities by 2024 (the base year is 2017). The target was later revised to a 40% reduction, or achieving PM concentrations recommended under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), by 2025-26.
About 88 of these 131 cities have shown an improvement in air quality in terms of annual PM10 concentrations in FY23 (from the baseline of FY18), the statement read.
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Published: 14 Dec 2023, 05:35 PM IST
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