Take necessary steps to improve AQI across Delhi-NCR within a week: Bhupender Yadav

Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said meetings will be held every month from January 2026 to review action plans prepared by state governments

Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav has directed authorities in NCR to ensure a visible improvement in air quality across NCR within one week. Yadav was chairing a high-level meeting to undertake a detailed review of action plans of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, along with concerned municipal bodies, on Friday as the air quality index once again deteriorated to 376 in the “very poor” category.

Yadav reviewed the individual presentations on measures taken by the state governments. (@EnvironmentPib)

This was the fourth in a series of such review meetings.

Yadav said meetings will be held every month from January 2026 to review action plans prepared by state governments and that implementation-related bottlenecks would be addressed through regular inter-state coordination meetings at the highest level.

Yadav reviewed the individual presentations on measures taken by the state governments and municipal bodies to control air pollution in Delhi-NCR. He emphasised that the momentum of these actions must be sustained until there is a visible improvement in air quality across the NCR within one week, the union environment ministry said in a statement.

“Strict measures must be taken against defaulters, but at the same time the general public must not get inconvenienced unnecessarily. Identified issues are to be addressed through corrective actions, with a review scheduled in 15 days,” Yadav has said.

Further, directions were issued to ensure smooth traffic management at 62 identified congestion hotspots, and to promote EV/CNG buses for employees by corporates and industrial units in Delhi-NCR, staggered timings for offices, shopping malls and commercial complexes were also emphasised to reduce peak-hour congestion.

Yadav also emphasised on some special end-to-end public transport on high-traffic routes, while strict directions were given to intensify action against illegal and polluting industrial units operating in the region.

The Centre directed Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida to fast-track the implementation of the Integrated Smart Traffic Management System (ITMS).

Yadav underscored coordinated planning with DMRC and state authorities to improve last-mile metro connectivity across NCR cities. Directions were issued to remove encroachments causing traffic congestion within 10 days, ensure annual maintenance contracts for pothole-free roads, and provide proper drainage to prevent monsoon-related damage to the roads.

“Coordinated redressal of public grievances related to pollution was to be ensured under Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas’s (CAQM) supervision, along with focused IEC activities for stakeholder engagement,” the ministry said.

“Yadav emphasized on taking necessary steps to ensure visible improvement in the prevailing air quality situation across the NCR within one week. He directed the authorities to remove dust and construction and demolition (C&D) waste lying on roads, containment of biomass burning, and strict enforcement of construction bans during high pollution periods,” the note said while adding that individual officers were asked to be assigned responsibility for mechanical road sweeping machines (MRSMs), supported by GPS tracking, to ensure efficient road cleaning and dust control. Public representatives were to be involved to strengthen accountability.

The CAQM was advised to issue guidance to Municipal Bodies to not permit demolition activities unless C&D waste collection sub-centres are available within a 10 km radius. C&D activities are to be banned during October–December, and CAQM was asked to explore engagement of start-ups and the private sector for innovative C&D waste management solutions through stakeholder consultations.

“No direct link with lung disease”

Air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases.But, there is no conclusive data which establishes a direct correlation between higher air quality index levels and lung diseases, union environment ministry has informed Rajya Sabha.

Kirti Vardhan Singh, minister of state for environment was responding to queries by BJP MP Laxmikant Bajpai on three questions.

He asked whether the Government is aware that studies and medical tests have confirmed that due to prolonged hazardous AQI levels in Delhi/NCR, masses are developing lung fibrosis, an irreversible reduction in lung capacity.

He also wanted to know whether lung elasticity of citizens of Delhi/ NCR has drastically reduced to almost 50 percent as compared to lung elasticity of citizens living in cities having good AQI levels; and lastly whether the Government proposes any solution to save millions of residents of Delhi / NCR from growing deadly diseases like pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, emphysema, reduced lung function and continuously declining lung elasticity?

“Air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases. There is no conclusive data which establishes a direct correlation between higher AQI levels and lung diseases,” Singh said while adding: “Further,to address air pollution in Delhi-NCR, Government has established the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) under the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021 for better coordination, research, identification and resolution of problems of air pollution in Delhi- NCR and adjoining areas.”

CAQM has been provided powers under the Act to take measures and issue directions to the various agencies in the National Capital Region for protecting and improving air quality. CAQM has been addressing the issue of air pollution in Delhi-NCR in a collective, collaborative and participative mode involving all the major stakeholders. CAQM has so far issued 95 Statutory Directions to specifically guide and direct various actions towards abatement of air pollution in the region. A monitoring mechanism to oversee the implementation of these directions has been put in place, he said.

In response to another question on whether 1.Government has reviewed the progress of National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) since its launch in 2019; 2. if so, the details of reduction achieved in Particulate Matter10 (PM10) in the 131 nonattainment cities, city-wise; 3. whether Government has fixed quantified reduction targets separately for PM2.5 concentrations and if so, the details thereof.

“National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in January 2019 to improve air quality in 130 cities in 24 States/ UTs through implementation of National, State and City level clean air action plans. Under the programme, cities have been provided annual air pollution reduction targets in terms of PM10 levels for the period 2019-20 to 2025-26. PM2.5, being a subset of PM10, also gets reduced to certain extent with actions aimed at PM10 reduction,” Singh said.

City Specific Clean Air Action Plans have been prepared by all 130 cities based on local factors, to implement air quality improvement measures in respective cities. These plans target air pollution sources like soil and road dust, vehicular emissions, waste burning, Construction & Demolition activities, and industrial pollution, he added.

NCAP is a multi-sectoral initiative involving the coordinated efforts of the Central and State Governments, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), and other stakeholders. Committees at National Level (Apex, Steering, Monitoring and Implementation), State level (Steering and Monitoring) and City level Monitoring and Implementation Committee have been constituted to coordinate, monitor, evaluate the progress and provide guidance for implementation of city action plans, Singh said.