Mumbai: A latest report by Respirer Living Sciences has revealed that air quality in several parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) remains dangerously above safe limits, despite recent improvements. The report highlights ongoing pollution challenges in major cities of Maharashtra including Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur, which have seen some reduction in air pollution but continue to struggle with high levels of harmful particles.
The analysis, which examined Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 data from 2019 to 2024 using the AtlasAQ Platform, shows that 10 out of 19 cities in Maharashtra have experienced rising PM 2.5 levels. This worrying trend comes even after the launch of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), India’s first performance-based initiative to combat air pollution. The NCAP aims to cut particulate pollution by up to 40 per cent by 2025-26, using 2019-20 levels as the baseline.
Pollution control efforts show mixed results
The report’s findings reveal some progress in air pollution control across Maharashtra’s urban centers. Cities like Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad, and Jalna continue to report PM 2.5 levels far above the safe limits set by India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (40 µg/m³) and the World Health Organisation’s recommended level of 5 µg/m³. In 2023, Navi Mumbai recorded an alarming PM 2.5 level of 61.80 µg/m³, highlighting the scale of the problem.
Thane, Badlapur, Ulhasnagar, Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Nagpur, & Solapur continues to struggle
Meanwhile other cities, including Thane, Badlapur, Ulhasnagar, Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Nagpur, and Solapur, have also struggled to control pollution, with industrial emissions, traffic, and urban expansion being the key contributors.
Positive signs in Mumbai and Nagpur
However, there are signs of progress in some areas. Mumbai and Nagpur have both recorded measurable reductions in PM 2.5 levels. Mumbai’s air quality saw an improvement, with PM 2.5 levels dropping from 49.75 µg/m³ in 2023 to 28.82 µg/m³ in 2024. Similarly, Nagpur’s levels decreased from 51.35 µg/m³ in 2023 to 40.53 µg/m³ in 2024. These improvements have been attributed to enhanced traffic management and stricter regulations on industrial emissions.
