'Consistent Improvement' in Delhi’s Air Quality, Says Environment Minister

Bhupender Yadav said there is no data available to form a correlation between death and disease with air pollution.

The Environment Minister told Lok Sabha that the number of 'good,' 'satisfactory,' and 'moderate' days in Delhi has increased to 197 in 2021 from 108 recorded in 2016.

(Photo Courtesy: iStock)

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Monday, 25 July, that there has been a "consistent improvement" in Delhi’s air quality and the annual PM2.5 (Particulate Matter) and PM10 concentrations in the capital have reduced to 22 and 27 percent, respectively.

"Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) data for Delhi reveals that annual concentration of PM has declined since 2016. Concentration of PM10 and PM2.5 declined by 27 and 22 percent between 2016 and 2021," Yadav said,

The Environment Minister told Lok Sabha that the number of 'good', 'satisfactory,' and 'moderate' days in Delhi have increased to 197 in 2021 compared to 108 recorded in 2016.

On the other hand, the number of 'poor,' 'very poor,' and 'severe' days have decreased to 168 in 2021 as against 246 in 2016, he said.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality index (AQI) between 0-50 is considered "good," 51-100 is "satisfactory," 101-200 is "moderate," 201-300 is "poor," 301-400 is "very poor," and 401-500 is rated "severe."

'No Correlation Between Disease and Air Pollution' 

However, Yadav said that there is no concrete data available to establish a direct correlation between death and disease exclusively in relation with air pollution.

"Air pollution is one of the many factors affecting respiratory ailments and associated diseases. Health is impacted by a number of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc, of the individuals apart from the environment," he added.

(With inputs from PTI.)