Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 21
Nagaland’s commercial hub Dimapur and political capital Kohima have registered notable improvement in PM10 (particulate matter 10 micrometres or less in diameter) concentration levels in 2024-25 compared to the 2017-18 fiscal year, according to official data presented in Parliament.
As per a reply to an unstarred question by the Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Kirti Vardhan Singh, in the Lok Sabha on July 21, the PM10 concentration in Kohima dropped from 127 µg/m³ in 2017-18 to 71 µg/m³ in 2024-25. This represents an improvement of 44.1%.
Similarly, in Dimapur, the PM10 concentration declined from 142 µg/m³ in 2018-19 to 112 µg/m³ in 2024-25, a reduction of 21.1%.
The data was part of a document titled “Improvement in PM10 concentrations of 130 Cities under NCAP in FY 2024-25 w.r.t. FY 2017-18”, shared by the Ministry.
As part of efforts to tackle air pollution, the MoEFCC informed that it had released Rs 25.56 crore to Nagaland under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and the 15th Finance Commission (XVFC) from FY 2019-20 to 2025-26. Of this, Rs 18.33 crore has been utilised by the State.
The NCAP was launched in January 2019 as a long-term, time-bound, national-level strategy to improve air quality across 130 cities in India through National, State, and City-level Clean Air Action Plans.
City-specific action plans were developed to address major air pollution sources such as soil and road dust, vehicular emissions, waste burning, construction and demolition activities, and industrial pollution.
The Ministry stated that focused actions under the NCAP have yielded positive results. In 2024-25, 103 cities showed a reduction in PM10 levels compared to 2017-18, with 64 cities recording a decline of over 20%, and 25 cities achieving a reduction of more than 40%.
Additionally, 22 cities have met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), registering PM10 concentrations below 60 µg/m³.
The Central Government’s broader air quality management initiatives also include controlling vehicular and industrial pollution. Under NCAP, funds are allocated to 48 million-plus cities based on the reduction in annual average PM10 levels and the increase in the number of 'good' air quality days (defined as an Air Quality Index below 200), the reply added.
Improvement in PM10 concentrations in Kohima and Dimapur
| Average concentration (F.Y.) of PM10 (μg/m3) | % improvement | |
| 2017-2018 | 2024-25 | |
Kohima | 127 | 71 | 44.1 |
Dimapur | 142 | 112 | 21.1 |
Source: Date provided by the Union Ministry of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Kirti Vardhan Singh, in the Lok Sabha on July 21.
