Proposed city-specific interim targets for India based on WHO air quality guidelines 2021

An evaluation of air quality impact prediction performance undertaken as part of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in India

“…The vast fluctuation of AQ levels for components such as PM10 and PM2.5 emissions has been reported across India since the last NAAQS guideline update in 2009 [ 59 ]. This is caused by the drastic emission changes resulting from meteorological patterns, transportation and construction.…”

“…We recommend that, rather than establishing a national recommended AQ level, the control of emissions may be set as an initial target at the state/regional level and once achieved, may look ahead to the following achievable targets in a time-bound manner. This would be realistic in improving AQ considering the varying range of particulate matter and other harmful gaseous concentrations in cities located at diverse geographical locations, as verified during various air source appropriation studies [ 59 , 61 ].…”