Capital used only 29% of funds to clean air: Study
The assessment, released by CSE, analysed at the performance of states and UTs in terms of implementation of NCAP
More than 70% of total funds Delhi received from the Centre as part of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) remain unutilised, making the national Capital the worst in terms of usage of climate funds among India’s states and Union territories, a new study has found.
The assessment, released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Friday, analysed the performance of states and UTs in terms of implementation of NCAP, which was introduced in 2019 and set ambitious targets for regions across India to bring down PM2.5 and PM10 levels by 25-30%.
Delhi, according to the report, has so far utilised only ₹12.6 crore out of the ₹42.69 crore it has received from the Centre for NCAP between 2019-20 and 2023-24. This means that with a utilisation rate of 29.5%, Delhi proportionately used the least money among the 23 states and UTs which received funds during this period, the report showed.
Other regions that fared poorly in terms of fund utilisation were Punjab (which used only 30.6% of central funds), Karnataka (31.4% of funds utilised), Jammu and Kashmir (34.9%), West Bengal and Assam (both 39.2%), and Meghalaya (39.9%), according to the report. The national average was 51%, it showed.
At the other end of the spectrum, Jharkhand and Gujarat meanwhile were able to utilise 100% of the ₹6 crore and ₹12 crore they received to improve air quality there, it said.
A total of 131 cities come under NCAP.
The findings of the report are a damning reflection of the inaction of authorities in the face of yearly onslaught of pollution, particularly in the national capital.
Delhi and its surrounding NCR cities consistently rank among the world’s most polluted cities, with Delhi commonly referred to as the most polluted national capitals.
The pollution is exacerbated particularly in the winter months, after the burning of stubble in neighbouring states and bursting of firecrackers during Diwali. Delhi’s PM2.5 and PM10 levels generally shoot up to 10-20 times the national standards of 60 and 100 µg/m3 respectively, owing to meteorological factors such as low wind speed and low temperature.
According to the report, Delhi ranked ninth under the recently launched Swacch Vayu Sarvekshana (SVS) rankings – a system which ranks cities based on their air quality and their implementation of activities approved under the city action plan (NCAP).
However, based on NCAP’s assessment for cities, it received the lowest grade for failing to improve PM10.
“This shows that while Delhi is taking overall action, it is faring poorly in the NCAP performance-linked assessment, which focuses mainly on PM10. This shows dust and high PM 10 is still a problem for Delhi and its surrounding region,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE.
Cities faring well in terms of PM10 reduction are considered for incentive-based grants and a higher funding from the central government.
The report said that based on the findings for the assessment year 2022-23, the best-scoring cities included Srinagar, Gorakhpur, Durgapur, Moradabad, Firozabad, Bareilly, Raebareli, Thoothukuddi, Haldia, etc. Meanwhile, a list of 53 cities, including Delhi, Chandigarh and Jhansi, performed poorly, it said.
Data showed though Delhi was supposed to bring down its annual PM10 concentration to 151 µg/m3 till 2022-23, the actual PM10 concentration that year was 201µg/m3 – over three times the national safe limit of 60µg/m3.
Despite repeated attempts by HT, Delhi government spokesperson refused to comment on the findings of the report.