Government Challenges Global Air Pollution Report Credibility

The Indian government has questioned the reliability of a global report ranking the country among the most polluted, citing data and methodology concerns. Union Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh noted reliance on low-cost, non-approved sensors and indicated the Environmental Compensation funds remain underutilized. A comprehensive approach through NCAP addresses various pollution sources.

The Indian government has raised concerns over a global report that lists India as one of the most polluted nations. The Union Minister of State for Environment, Kirti Vardhan Singh, indicated that the rankings might be misleading due to the report's reliance on limited and varied data sources.

Singh pointed out that the report, which ranked countries based on PM2.5 concentrations, drew 62% of its data from non-governmental sources using low-cost sensors which are not approved for regulatory purposes. He expressed doubts about the precision of these data sources.

While addressing concerns about air pollution's impact on health, Singh emphasized the absence of conclusive data to link pollution with mortality directly. Moreover, he revealed that a significant portion of Environmental Protection Charge (EPC) and Environmental Compensation (EC) funds remains unutilized, partly due to judicial directives.