Pune Breathed Polluted Air for 57 Days in 3 Months: CREA Report
Pune, 12th June 2025: According to the analysis of CPCB data by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), from February to April 2025, citizens of Pune breathed bad air for 57 days out of 89 days. In fact, all through the month of February, Punekars breathed bad air with the average PM 10 concentration for the month being 127 µg/m³. In the month of March as well the average PM 10 concentration was 112 µg/m³. The safe daily limit for PM10 concentration under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) is 100 µg/m³.
PM 10 is a coarse particulate matter. Long-term exposure to PM10 has been linked to an increased risk of respiratory diseases and cardiovascular problems. Pune had worse air quality this April as compared to April 2024, in terms of PM 10 and PM 2.5 concentration. Long-term exposure to PM 2.5, which is a smaller particulate matter, can lead to increased risk of heart disease, reduced lung function, and even lung cancer. This underscores the severity and persistence of air pollution in the city, and the alarming fact that the air quality is worsening.
Biomass combustion and vehicular emissions are the largest source of PM2.5 in the city, while PM 10 is mainly from road dust, and construction activities. “Despite spending over ₹222 crore under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), annual PM10 levels have never met the NAAQS. This calls for a serious revisit of city-level action plans with a focus on accountability and effective on-ground execution.”, said Manoj Kumar, Analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
“We have been actively engaging with the local administration on issues like mobility, solid waste management, and crematoria issues but we believe more needs to be done. We are concerned that despite an action plan being implemented for over 2 years, we still do not meet the national standards. Effective solutions like strengthening public transport, improving walkability etc should be focussed on rather than deploying technical solutions like mist fountains or fog cannons that are not evidence based and proven to be effective. Civil society members and citizens need to be made a part of the process of finding and implementing effective solutions that will address pollution at source”, said Dushyant Bhatia, member of the Pune Air Action Hub.
Before the winter months set in, and the air quality worsens, Pune still has the opportunity to prioritise actions to improve its baseline air quality. Pune having both the Metro as well as the PMPML service, experts are encouraging the city to make the public transport affordable and more accessible for citizens. Facilitating a modal shift from private vehicles to public transport, and strengthening the implementation of the ban on open burning will largely contribute to pollution mitigation.
