Non-attainment city
Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A non-attainment city is a city that failed to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM10 (fine dust particles) or NO₂ (nitrogen dioxide) for five years in a row, from 2011 to 2015. "Non-attainment" means the city did not attain, or reach, the safe level. The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in January 2019, covers 131 such cities. Each has its own action plan, with a target to cut PM10 by up to 40% by 2025-26 compared with 2017-18 levels. Funds are linked to how well each city performs.
Example
Most non-attainment cities lie in the Indo-Gangetic plain, for example Delhi. This plain is a landlocked basin where winter temperature inversions trap pollution near the ground and dust adds to it.
Don't confuse with
- Polluted river stretch: this is a stretch of river where BOD is above 3 mg/l. It is about water. A non-attainment city is about air.
Related concepts
- National Ambient Air Quality Standards
- National Air Quality Index
- National Clean Air Programme
- Graded Response Action Plan
- Commission for Air Quality Management