‘Need more focus on PM2.5’: Study says dust mitigation draining clean air scheme funds

The CSE report has appraised efforts to curb air pollution under the national scheme through the lens of fund utilisation, city level performance in improving air quality and implementation gaps.

The heavy focus on PM10 pollution under NCAP has meant that road paving and widening, pothole repairs, water sprinkling, procurement of mechanised sweepers has accounted for a dominant share in the expenditure under NCAP, the report said.

A review of the sectoral patterns showed that 64 per cent of the total funds went into road dust mitigation while only 12.63 per cent and 14.51 per cent funds were spent on combustion sources of pollution like vehicles and biomass burning, respectively. A mere 0.61 per cent was spent on industrial pollution control.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is also scrutinising the national scheme in a suo matter is appraising expenditure under NCAP across 53 cities. The NCAP was launched in 2019 to improve air quality in 131 cities, which were selected on their record of poor air quality for five consecutive years.

These cities, known as non-attainment cites for not meeting pollution standards, have to cut their pollution levels by 40 per cent by 2025-26 with 2019-20 as a base year.  Public records with the Ministry of Environment show that as of May 2024, approximately Rs.10,566.47 crore was released to 131 cities between 2019-20 and 2023-24 financial years. Of the 1,615.47 crore released for 82 cities only 51 per cent or Rs 831.42 crore has been used.  Meanwhile, 42 cities with a million plus population got Rs 8,951 crore of which 67 per cent or Rs.5,974.73 crore was spent.