GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
RAJYA SABHA
QUESTION NO 1252
ANSWERED ON 04.12.2014
Pollution level in metropolitan cities
1252
Shri Darshan Singh Yadav
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to satate :(a) the level of pollution in the metropolitan cities of the country;
(b) the details of the model list of all the desirable and undesirable elements found to be above or below
the norms;
(c) the effective steps taken by Government to control pollution; and
(d) the future plan chalked out by Government to control pollution?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)
(a) to (b). The ambient air quality is monitored by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in
association with various State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Control Committees (PCCs)
for UTs and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
The monitored data for ambient air quality as processed by CPCB for the last 03 years (2010, 2011 and
2012) reveal that levels of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2 – annual average - 50 µg/m3) are within the prescribed
air quality norms in all the 45 metro cities except one and that of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2 – annual
average - 40 µg/m3) are within norms in 37, out of 45 metro cities, monitored during 2012. However,
the levels of fine particulate matter (PM10 – annual average - 60 µg/m3) exceeded the prescribed norms
in 42 out of 45 metro cities monitored during 2012 (Annexure-I). A fluctuating/mixed trend is being
observed in case of NO2, SO2, and PM10 while NO2 is an upcoming pollutant.
(c)&(d) The Government has taken various measures to contain air pollution which inter alia include,
supply of cleaner fuels as per auto fuel policy, use of gaseous fuel for public transport, pollution under
control (PUC) certificate for in use vehicles, stringent source specific emission standards, strict
compliance of source specific emission standards, use of beneficiated coal in thermal power plants,
strengthening public transport, expansion of metro train system, implementation of revised emission
norms for gensets, implementation of city specific action plan in 16 cities, etc.
******
Annexure referred to in reply to paras (a) and (b) of the Rajya Sabha unstarred question no. 1252 to be
answered on 04.12.2014, raised by SHRI DARSHAN SINGH YADAV regarding Pollution level in
metropolitan cities;
Annexure I
Air quality status of 46 million plus cities for 2010, 2011, 2012
(Annual average (µg/m3)
State
2010
City
2011
2012
SO2
NO2
PM10
SO2
NO2
PM10
SO2
NO2
PM10
Hyderabad (GH)
Vishakhapatnam
(GVMC)
5
24
79*
5
29
86*
4
28
79*
7
16
71*
6
11
90*
6
12
97*
Andhra Pradesh
Vijaywada
6
14
93*
13
20
80*
12
13
65*
Bihar
Patna
7
40
181*
5
47*
174*
6
36
166*
Chattisgarh
Raipur
15
43*
289*
14
42*
293*
14
40
268*
Delhi
Delhi (DMC)
5
55*
261*
5
57*
222*
5
59*
237*
Ahmedabad
15
21
95*
13
25
79*
12
24
83*
Rajkot
13
17
96*
13
18
98*
13
17
99*
Surat
16
24
76*
17
26
94*
16
26
97*
Gujarat
Vadodara
17
29
93*
17
29
88*
16
33
102*
Haryana
Faridabad
18
29
164*
21
44*
177*
12
38
184*
Jammu & Kashmir
Shrinagar
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
@
Jharkhand
Dhanbad
15
36
184*
16
35
202*
17
40
178*
Karnataka
Madhya Pradesh
Ranchi
19
35
172*
18
35
170*
18
35
202*
Bangalore (BBMP)
14
Bhopal
9
31
89*
16
29
94*
14
28
121*
18
133*
Gwalior
3
17
175*
3
21
173*
12
20
308*
12
20
309*
13
27
329*
Indore
14
18
120*
12
14
142*
12
20
143*
Jabalpur
2
25
135*
2
25
73*
2
24
75*
Aurangabad
6
21
75*
9
31
83*
9
32
80*
Mumbai
4
19
97*
5
35
119*
5
20
117*
Nagpur
7
33
113*
8
34
106*
10
32
103*
Nashik
21
26
76*
25
27
101*
24
27
95*
Pune
29
39
82*
NA
NA
NA
32
NA
58*
NA
113*
NA
22
NA
44*
NA
93*
NA
Thane
14
14
50
72*
39
113*
17
43*
120*
Kalyan Dombivali
NA
NA
52*
87*
114*
Pimpri Chinchwad
NA
56
129*
-
12
20
13
44*
-
20
Navi Mumbai
16
17
30
49*
139*
22
47*
89*
Amritsar
14
36
219*
14
36
210*
15
39
202*
Ludhiana
9
32
214*
11
28
221*
11
27
228*
Jaipur
6
37
164*
7
42*
147*
9
52*
187*
Jodhpur
6
22
181*
5
23
168*
6
24
189*
Kota
10
29
132*
7
31
139*
8
32
156*
Chennai
9
15
59
12
19
65*
12
21
57
Coimbatore
5
27
78*
4
33
86*
3
27
68*
Madurai
11
25
47
11
24
45
14
30
48
Agra
5
20
185*
5
22
165*
5
23
196*
Allahabad
4
24
218*
6
23
260*
4
32
317*
Ghaziabad
30
37
290*
31
39
231*
30
34
248*
Kanpur
7
34
203*
8
33
184*
8
34
215*
Lucknow
8
34
204*
8
33
189*
8
32
211*
Varanasi
18
20
127*
17
20
127*
18
21
138*
Meerut
8
47*
166*
5
45*
122*
4
43*
129*
Kolkata
11
62*
99*
13
66*
115*
12
70*
135*
Howrah
46 cities
12
75*
5
118*
39
12
62*
11
131*
41
13
40
186*
1
8
42
Vasai-virar
Maharashtra
Punjab
Rajasthan
Tamilnadu
Uttar Pradesh
West Bengal
15 states 1UT
Year
2010
2011
2012
No. of million plus cities with operating NAMP stations and exceeding
National Standard (NAAQS-2009)
No. of million plus cities (46 cities as per Census 2011)
Exceeding / violating NAAQS 2009
with operating NAMP
stations
SO2
NO2
PM10
43
0
5
39
44
0
11
41
44
1
8
42