Navi Mumbai’s PM10 up 59%, Nashik’s 40%; 43 cities report rising pollution since NCAP beganMUMBAI: Seven years and more than Rs 12,000 crore in public spending later, nine out of 10 cities covered by the Centre’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) still fail to meet the prescribed annual limit for coarse particulate pollution, with Navi Mumbai and Nashik among the cities reporting sharp increases in pollution levels.PM10 concentration is the amount of tiny airborne particles mostly from vehicular and industrial dust and smoke measuring 10 micrometres or less in diameter present in a given volume of air. These particles are small enough to be inhaled into the respiratory system and can affect human health, particularly when exposure is frequent or prolonged causing chronic lung or respiratory tract issues.An independent analysis of government data by Manoj Kumar of India Air Quality & Energy Insights found that 117 of the 130 cities covered by NCAP exceeded the national annual standard for PM10 in 2025-26, the programme’s extended deadline. Only 13 cities met the prescribed limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³).The findings raise questions over the effectiveness of the seven-year programme, which was designed to improve urban air quality through targeted interventions and dedicated funding. Of the ₹16,824 crore released for the 130 cities, ₹12,087 crore, or about 72%, had been utilised, according to the analysis.Mumbai region cities under scrutinyNavi Mumbai recorded a 59.3% increase in PM10 concentration in 2025-26 compared with 2019-20, despite utilising ₹80 crore under the programme. Nashik reported a 40.4% increase against the same comparison year after utilising ₹88 crore.Pune, which utilised ₹289 crore, recorded a 24.7% rise in PM10, while Bengaluru reported a 6.8% increase after spending ₹313 crore. Jaipur recorded a 14.5% increase compared with 2019-20 after utilising ₹353 crore.Chennai utilised ₹449 crore, the highest amount among cities where PM10 levels increased, yet recorded a 20% rise compared with 2019-20. Its concentration was also 9.1% higher than the 2017-18 baseline. Meerut recorded a 31.1% increase against the baseline despite utilising ₹191 crore, while Visakhapatnam reported a 67.1% rise after utilising ₹74 crore.These figures do not establish that programme spending caused pollution to increase. They do, however, underline the need to examine whether the measures funded under NCAP addressed the principal sources of pollution and delivered measurable results.Fewer cities show improvement since launchNCAP was launched in January 2019 with an initial target of reducing PM10 pollution by 20-30% by 2024-25, compared with 2017-18. The target was subsequently revised to a reduction of up to 40%, or compliance with the national standard, by 2025-26.The number of cities exceeding the PM10 standard fell from 125 in 2017-18 to 112 in 2019-20, but climbed to 117 by 2025-26.Against the 2017-18 baseline, 21 cities recorded reductions of more than 40%. However, only eight achieved such reductions when compared with 2019-20, the programme’s starting year. The distinction matters because a reduction from an earlier baseline does not necessarily mean that a city has sustained improvements since NCAP began or now meets the national standard.More significantly, 43 cities recorded higher PM10 concentrations in 2025-26 than in 2019-20. These cities together utilised ₹2,857 crore. In comparison, 23 cities reported increases against the 2017-18 baseline and utilised ₹961 crore.Next phase needs measurable outcomesThe analysis calls for the next phase of NCAP to move beyond city-specific action plans and adopt a regional approach, recognising that pollution travels across municipal and state boundaries. It recommends expanding coverage, identifying the main pollution sources in each region and setting measurable emission-reduction targets for industries, thermal power plants, transport and household fuel use.It also calls for explicit targets for PM2.5, the finer particles capable of penetrating deep into the lungs, alongside PM10. Exposure to particulate pollution is associated with respiratory and other serious health effects.The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, in a separate assessment cited by the analysis, found that 1,787 of 4,041 cities assessed exceeded India’s annual PM2.5 standard in each of five selected years between 2019 and 2024, while only 67 were covered by NCAP.The proposed next phase, the analysis argues, must link funding to independently verifiable improvements in air quality, with transparent reporting, clearly assigned responsibilities and corrective action where targets are missed.The assessment draws on annual PM10 concentration and funding data for the 130 cities recorded on the government’s PRANA portal. It notes that official replies and releases have reported figures that differ from calculations based on the portal dataset; the figures presented are the analyst’s calculations and should not be interpreted as government-reported totals.
