Why Are Indian Cities Still Among the World’s Most Polluted Despite Huge Spending?
Though over ₹11,500 crore has been allotted for the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Indian cities completely dominate the world’s most polluted list. A recent report by IQAir pointed out that 35 Indian cities featured in the list of the 50 most polluted cities of the world which raises several questions regarding the efficiency of pollution control efforts by India even after spending a lot of money on it.
Millions Spent, But Pollution Persists:
NCAP which kicked off in 2019 wanting to reduce PM2.5 by 40 percent by 2026 saw most of the money washed in vain to squarely bring about worsening air quality in key cities like Patna, Chandigarh and Delhi. For example, Delhi utilized around 32 percent of the approved budget while Byrnihat in Meghalaya, the most polluted city in the world, used a big 54 percent of India’s Budget. They still remained as the most polluted city.
Key Reasons Behind the Failure:
Experts outline inconsistent application of policies, inadequate infrastructure and misallocation of funds as the greatest challenge to overcome. The vast majority of funds have gone towards dust control, leaving unchecked critical sources like biomass burning, industrial pollution and vehicle emissions. In addition, several highly polluted cities are not even part of the NCAP list.
Complete overhaul of NCAP needed with a regional and science-based approach, experts say. If not stricter implementation and better allocation of resources implemented, the air pollution crisis in India will continue to worsen leading to the further reduction of life expectancy and public health worsening.
