Global air pollution rankings not official: Govt in Parliament

The Union Government on Thursday dismissed all external air quality rankings in the Parliament, asserting that such global rankings, cited by various organisations, were not conducted by any official authority.

While replying to a question in Rajya Sabha on India’s position in global indices such as IQAir’s World Air Quality Ranking, the WHO Global Air Quality Database, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) metrics, the Environment Ministry said no official country-wise pollution ranking was carried out worldwide.

Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said, “The WHO’s guidelines are intended to help countries establish their own standards by considering factors such as geography, environmental conditions, background levels and national circumstances.”

The minister pointed out that India had already established its own scientifically determined National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 12 pollutants to safeguard public health and the environment.

He said the government conducted an annual Swachh Vayu Survekshan, ranking 130 cities under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) based on the implementation and effectiveness of air quality improvement measures and top performing cities were recognised every year on September 7, which was observed as National Swachh Vayu Diwas