INDIA in Action Mode

Air Pollution has been established as a major Public Health threat particularly in the urban areas. Attempts are being made through the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to manage air pollution amicably. The targets set for NCAP have been revised to achieve 40% reduction in PM10 levels compared to base level of 2017. Some of the cities have reported significant reduction in PM10 levels but still a long way to go towards achievement of set targets. Objectives of the programme range from prevention to mitigation and future strategies to keep Air Pollution within permissible limits. It is a strong example of convergence and collaboration amongst various ministries of the government.

- Dr Vivek S Agrawal

The biggest question on NCAP is its direction. While it addresses the issue of making cities clean and mitigating air pollution through larger particulate matter; major issues of Non Communicable Diseases like Respiratory, Coronary Artery Diseases etc caused due to air pollutants remain unaddressed. In fact, it should rather be more focussed on health issues instead. Increased incidences of these diseases need to be correlated with air pollution to draw a mitigation strategy. The only sore point in the design of this programme is missing out on the most affected Health Ministry from the participating organisations.

As mentioned, focus of current intervention is targeted on reduction of PM10 level only. PM10 and PM2.5 are types of particulate matter (PM) pollution, differing primarily in their size. PM10 refers to particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less, while PM2.5 includes particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less. PM2.5 is considered a subset of PM10, as it falls within the size range of PM10.Both PM10 and PM2.5 can be harmful to human health, with PM2.5 being particularly concerning due to its ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.