City's PM10 Levels Drop 12% in 7 Years

Among the four cities — Chennai, Tiruchy, Madurai and Thoothukudi — in Tamil Nadu that are covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the capital city recorded a modest PM10 reduction, while Thoothukudi recorded the sharpest reduction in the seven-year period between 2017-18 and 2024-25.

- SV Krishna Chaitanya @Chennai

According to the data presented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the Lok Sabha, the average concentration of PM10 levels in Chennai dropped by 12.1% from 66 µg/m3 in 2017-18 to 58 µg/m3 in 2024-25.

Thoothukudi, meanwhile, recorded a 54.5% reduction, with the PM10 levels dropping from 123 µg/m3 in 2017-2018 to 56 µg/m in 2024-2025. The average concentration of PM10 levels in Madurai and Tiruchy dropped from 88 and 72 in 2017-18 to 57 and 61 in 2024-25 respectively.