The Greenpeace India report for 2018 was released based on the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP), on January 21, 2020. Jharia in Jharkhand which is known for Coal-belching is the most polluted Indian city with 322 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) of PM10 (Particulate matter) pollutants in 2018, according to the report analysis of 287 cities across the country. Out of 287 cities 231 cities were severely polluted.
Key Points:
i.Dhanbad in Jharkhand which is known for its rich coal reserves and industries, is the second-most polluted Indian City with 264 un/m3 of PM10 pollutants.
ii.By taking marginal improvement in reducing air pollution, Delhi had jumped to the 10th position in the analysis . It was at the 8th position in the last report.
iii.Lunglei in Mizoram is the least polluted followed by Meghalaya’s Dowki.It is also the only Indian city with PM levels under the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) prescribed level of 20/ug/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter).
iv.Noida, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Allahabad, Moradabad and Firozabad are the six of the top-10 polluted cities in Uttar Pradesh.
v.By keeping 2017 as the base year, the central government launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019, which is a five-year action plan with a target of reducing concentrations of PM-10 and PM-2.5 up to 30% by 2024 in 102 non-attainment cities.
vi.According to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), the permissible limit for PM-10 is 60 ug/m3 and it is mere 20 ug/m3, as per the World Health Organization (WHO).
About Jharkhand:
Capital City- Ranchi
Chief Minister- Hemant Soren
Governor- Draupadi Murmu
State Animal- Indian elephant
State Bird- Asian koel
State Tree- Sal Tree
State Flower- Sacred Tree
About Mizoram:
Capital City- Aizawl
Chief Minister- Zoramthanga
Governor- P. S. Sreedharan Pilla
State Animal- Sumatran serow
State bird– Vavu
State Flower- Renanthera imschootiana
State Tree- Mesua ferrea
About Uttar Pradesh:
Capital city- Lucknow
Chief Minister- Yogi Adityanath
Governor- Anandiben Patel
State Animal- Swamp Deer
State Bird- Sarus Crane
State Tree- Ashoka tree
State Flower- Palash
