Declining Air Quality in Small and Mid-Sized Cities
/This Nagrikal Series examines the relationship between climate change and cities, especially small and mid-sized cities. The series attempts to explore the dual roles of such cities- cities as contributors to and sufferers of climate change.
We discuss some of the important impacts of climate change, like poor air quality, rising sea levels, rising temperatures, and increasing heatwaves. It serves as an explainer of how climate change induces these impacts in our cities. Highlighting the limited share of knowledge about small cities, climate data availability, and monitoring, this series urges us to rethink the future of small cities in the face of climate change. By bringing forth the facts and figures that are less talked about, we hope to shift the discourse from our current understanding in an effort to build resilient small cities.
From defining the role of cities, especially the smaller cities, in climate change to exploring the share of such cities in research studies, climate data availability, and monitoring, the series aligns with our objective of creating knowledge for smaller cities to drive meaningful action. The series is divided into four parts. Part one explains the relationship between cities and climate change; Part two focuses on the rise in temperatures and heatwaves; Part three highlights the cities that are at risk of sea level rise; Finally Part four talks about the declining air quality in small cities; Parts two, three, and four use small cities as case studies to explain the consequences of the respective impacts. Some of the key insights and findings from each of the parts are shared in the next section.
We invite readers to engage with the findings of this report and join us in the collective effort to reimagine the future of small cities in the face of climate change. We believe that stakeholders at every level can make a significant change by utilising the insights provided in this publication. By understanding the city specific challenges, let us co-create innovative solutions to combat climate change impacts for a sustainable and resilient future.
We hope that this report will not just inform but also initiate a conversation about the challenges faced by small cities with regards to climate change in the policy discourse and climate action strategies, which is currently missing.
Report Summary & Key Insights
The images are from the report. Please download the report for more context
Declining Air Quality:
Climate Change and poor air quality, both exacerbate the other, thereby sharing a cyclical relationship which leads to detrimental consequences for human health and the envioronment.
Pollutants such as Particulate Matter, especially PM2.5, can cause adverse health impacts. Latest estimates suggest that the deaths caused by PM2.5 pollution in India have increased by 2.5 times in the last two decades.
PM2.5 Limit Guidelines:
India ranked as the 3rd most polluted country in the world in the World Air Quality Report 2023. In the top 20 polluted cities in the world, 15 are small and mid-sized cities from India. All these cities have annual PM2.5 levels that exceed the WHOguideline by over 10 times.
This report points out how several Indian cities fail to meet the 2021 revised WHO guidelines. India’s CPCB has set an annual average permissible limit for PM2.5 concentration at 40 µg/m³, which is eight times higher than the latest WHO limit.
Monitoring in Small and Mid-Sized Cities:
Despite the presence of a considerable number of air quality monitoring stations, this report highlights the inconsistency in data availability in small and mid-sized cities. For instance, the 2023 June AQI Bulletin did not record AQI for around 46 small and mid-sized cities, as the data for air pollutants was unavailable.
Small and mid-sized cities also lack representation within air quality research. This report highlights such inadequacies in monitoring and research, which hampers accurate assessments of air quality and impedes effective policymaking.
Policy Response and City-specific actions:
The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) has been launched to address the air pollution in cities that failed to meet the CPCB’s air quality standards, which includes 132 cities collectively called non-attainment cities. 91% of these non-attainment cities are small and mid-sized. However, this report highlights certain limitations within the NCAP. For instance, Bhiwadi - the country’s most polluted city in 2021 and 2022, has not been included in the programme.
NCAP has adopted a decentralised approach to address poor air quality through City Action Plans. However, coordination and accountability remains crucial for agencies implementing these plans in order to create effective impact.
