UP Launches Statewide Clean Air Study Across 75 Districts To Tackle Pollution Crisis

Lucknow: Concerned over rising levels of carbon, heavy metals and PM2.5 particles in the air and their growing impact on public health, the Uttar Pradesh government has launched the Uttar Pradesh Clean Air Management Project to study the causes and consequences of air pollution across all 75 districts of the state.

Under the project, 15 institutions have been assigned research responsibilities in different districts, while the World Bank will fund the initiative. The study aims to generate scientific evidence on pollution sources, health impacts and mitigation measures, which will help the state government frame future policy guidelines.

Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University will oversee research in Agra, Mathura and Etawah, while the Centre for the Development of Glass Industry will cover Firozabad. Aligarh Muslim University has been assigned Aligarh, Etah, Hathras and Kasganj districts.

The project also includes the establishment of laboratories and the introduction of new environmental science courses at participating institutions. The curriculum will be designed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Four mini super sites equipped with advanced monitoring facilities will be set up in Agra, Aligarh, Gorakhpur and Jhansi.

According to project officials, participating institutions will receive Rs 27.9 lakh each for laboratory development, while Rs 5.2 crore has been earmarked for each mini super site.

Professor Bhupendra Swaroop Sharma, Director of the School of Life Sciences at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University and the project's nodal officer, said experts will identify pollution hotspots and install monitoring equipment. At least 104 samples will be collected annually and tested for carbon, PM2.5 and other pollutants.

Over the five-year project period, more than 525 samples will be analysed. The findings will be compiled into reports for the state government, which will use the data to formulate pollution-control strategies and public health guidelines.

Medical experts say deteriorating air quality is already taking a visible toll on public health. Dr Gajendra Vikram Singh of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis at SN Medical College, Agra, said pollutants such as carbon particles, arsenic, lead and sulphur dioxide are contributing to a rise in respiratory illnesses, asthma and tuberculosis.

"Long-term exposure is also increasing the risk of lung cancer, particularly among younger people," he said. The department's outpatient clinic sees an average of 7,500 patients every month, with pollution-related respiratory cases increasing by an estimated 10 to 12 per cent annually.

The project will involve institutions including the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Department in Lucknow, Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology in Gorakhpur, Bundelkhand University in Jhansi, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology in Prayagraj, Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut and IITs in Delhi and Roorkee, among others.

The initiative comes at a time when air quality concerns remain acute in several cities. In Agra, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 486 on November 9, 2021, according to Central Pollution Control Board data, placing it in the severe category. An AQI below 50 is considered good, while levels between 51 and 100 are categorised as satisfactory. Officials say the city's pollution levels continue to remain a major environmental and public health challenge.