₹7,094 Crore Spent to Combat Road Dust, Shows Positive Results in 130 Cities: Govt

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The government has allocated over ₹7,000 crore to tackle road dust pollution in 130 cities across the country, according to a recent Lok Sabha response. The funds were released under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as critical gap funding to implement air pollution mitigation measures. Road dust is identified as a major contributor to particulate matter (PM10) concentrations, accounting for 20-60% in many cities. However, the targeted efforts under NCAP have shown promising results, with 103 cities witnessing a reduction in PM10 concentration in 2024-25 compared to 2017-18. Furthermore, 25 cities have achieved a significant reduction of over 40% in PM10 levels, while 22 cities have met the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) with PM10 concentrations below 60 µg/m3. The government's focus on road dust mitigation has been a key aspect of the NCAP, which was launched in 2019 to set clean air targets for polluted cities and reduce national particulate pollution.