Congress Demands Urgent Review of Air Quality Standards Amid Rising PM2.5 Pollution

Expressing concern over rising pollution levels, the Congress on Sunday demanded an urgent review and upgradation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 2009, and asserted that they must be enforced as well as monitored more effectively everywhere.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "PM 56-inch has been exposed, PM 2.5 is for real." Ramesh also said the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) itself needs a laser-like focus on PM2.5.

"PM2.5 that is, particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers or lower measured in micrograms per cubic meter of air as emerged as the cause for a severe environment-public health crisis across the country," the former environment minister said on X.

Ramesh highlighted a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health in December 2024, which, based on data from 655 districts over 2009–2019, found that every 10 microgram per cubic metre increase in PM2.5 concentration leads to an 8.6% rise in mortality.

He added that the 2025 Lancet Countdown estimates about 17.2 lakh Indians die every year from exposure to PM2.5, a 38% increase since 2010.

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has repeatedly told Parliament in 2024, 2025, and 2026 that deaths on account of air pollution "cannot be conclusively established," he pointed out. Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Health Ministry's research body, has endorsed the Lancet findings, attributing 12.4 lakh deaths in 2017 to air pollution, or 12.5% of all deaths that year, Ramesh said.

Citing data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Ramesh noted that continuous ambient air quality monitoring from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for 238 cities between October 2025 and February 2026 shows none of the cities complied with WHO safe guidelines for PM2.5.

"In 204 of the 238 cities PM2.5 concentrations were above the levels set by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that were promulgated way back in November 2009. Subsequently, the WHO announced its updated safe guideline in September 2021," Ramesh said.

He added that the Indian standard for the annual average concentration of PM2.5 is now eight times weaker than the WHO guideline, and the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched in 2019 has made very little impact on PM2.5 concentrations. PM2.5 levels complied with the NAAQS, 2009 safe level in only 12 of the 96 NCAP cities, he pointed out.

"Over Rs 13,400 crore has been released under NCAP and XV Finance Commission grants since inception, with 68% spent on road dust management. The NCAP benchmarks itself against PM10, the coarser and less lethal pollutant, not PM2.5," he said.

While the top polluted cities are in the National Capital Region covering Delhi and parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, other states like Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh have a high proportion of cities exceeding the standards, Ramesh said.

There are 50 cities where continuous data availability is less than 80%, while some monitoring stations did not report data for even a single day, he added.

"The National Ambient Air Quality Standards, 2009 need urgent review and upgradation. They also must be enforced and monitored more effectively everywhere. In addition, the NCAP itself needs a laser-like focus on PM2.5," the Congress leader asserted.

(with PTI inputs)