Indore Air Quality Improves: Can Meet National Standards Soon

Indore, Mar 28 (PTI) A senior Union government official on Friday said that Indore, the country's `cleanest city', can fully meet the national air quality standards within a year with "little more efforts."
The quality of air in Madhya Pradesh's commercial capital has improved in the last few years thanks to the civic administration's efforts, said Naresh Pal Gangwar, additional secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
"If a little more effort is made, the city can fully meet the national air quality standards in the next one year," he said, after attending a meeting held to review the National Clean Air Programme here.
Indore has topped the National Sanitation Survey seven times in a row.

Citing last year's data, Gangwar said the level of pollutants including PM 10 and PM 2.5 in Indore was marginally above the national air quality standards.
`PM' stands for particulate matter.
"With a little more effort, the level of PM 10 and PM 2.5 in Indore can come down to the standard limit within a year," he added.
According to a study by Clean Air Catalyst, a global alliance working to improve air quality, vehicular pollution and road dust have the highest 70 percent share in the overall air pollution in the city.

The city is now competing in the `Super Swachh League', in the category of cities with a population of more than 10 lakh, along with Navi Mumbai and Surat in the ongoing Swachhta Survey of 2024. The super league has been introduced for the first time for a separate competition among the cities already performing well on cleanliness indicators.