How Robust are Urban India’s Clean Air Plans? An Assessment of 102 Cities

This report, in collaboration with Urban Emissions, evaluates the 102 city-specific clean air plans in India approved under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Based on an extensive review of global literature on clean air planning, this report identifies key components of a clean air plan. It suggests ways in which these components can be integrated into the existing city action plans. Given that the current plans are preliminary, it provides recommendations to the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and municipal corporations on strengthening the plans.

The NCAP lists the preparation and implementation of air quality management plans by cities that do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards - non-attainment cities - as a primary mitigation measure to reduce PM 2.5 levels by 20 to 30 per cent with 2017 as the base year. The SPCBs were to submit the clean air plans which list down sector-specific interventions with predetermined timelines for implementation and the agency responsible for execution.