Kolkata ranks among worst cities for air pollution control in 2024

Kolkata has been ranked 41st out of 46 Indian cities with a population exceeding one million in the Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 report by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Despite receiving ₹846.25 crore since 2018-19 under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the city has only managed to reduce its PM10 levels by 25%.

However, the current PM10 level of 94 micrograms per cubic metre remains over 50% higher than the national permissible limit. The report ranks major Indian metropolises, with Delhi performing best at 11th, followed by Bengaluru at 28th, and Mumbai at 32nd. Kolkata, along with Chennai (45th) and Howrah (44th), falls near the bottom.

Kalyan Rudra, chairman of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, argued that Kolkata's air quality suffers from transborder pollution due to its location near the southern edge of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. He raised concerns about a uniform ranking system for all cities despite differences in pollution sources and environmental contexts. 

Rudra also stressed the need to phase out diesel-powered vehicles and to focus on PM2.5, a more harmful pollutant, as the key indicator for improvement. Abhijit Chatterjee, an expert with the Bose Institute, supported these views and suggested a more city-specific approach for identifying and addressing pollution sources, rather than relying on generalized measures.