B'luru ranks 27th most polluted big Indian city

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: The Union Environment and Forest Ministry on Thursday declared that Bengaluru had been ranked the 27th most polluted big city in a list of 47 while Indore in Madhya Pradesh stood first.

As many as 131 big and small cities were examined as a part of the Swachh Vayu Survekshan (clean air survey) under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

Indore was followed by Agra (Uttar Pradesh) in second place and Thane (Maharashtra) in third place as far as big cities were concerned. The category included cities with a population of more than 10 lakhs.

In all, there are three categories. As many as 44 cities made up the mid-tier city category with populations in the three to 1 lakh range.

Another 40 made up the third category of small cities with a population of less than three lakh. In the second category, Kalaburagi finished at 27 Hubballi-Dharwad came in at number 30 and Davangere was in the 39th position.

The cities were judged based on reports filed by urban local bodies (ULBs). They were scrutinized by an expert panel. In the final phase, Central Pollution Control Board ranked the cities.

The survey takes into consideration, air pollution from biomass and municipal solid waste burning, particulate matter (dust) and industrial pollution.

The NCAP was launched in 2019 with the goal of reducing particulate pollution by 20 per cent by the year 2024.