National Clean Air Programme needs complete revamp to focus on reducing PM2.5 levels: Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi: With a report listing Uttar Pradesh's Loni as the world's most polluted city, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday called for a complete revamp of the National Clean Air Programme, seeking a sharper focus on reducing PM2.5 levels, which he described as a "severe public health disaster" across the country.

The former environment minister said Loni near Ghaziabad is steeped in Indian mythology as well as history and has many important places of worship reflecting the country's composite culture.

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"There are also some lovely gardens and orchards. It figures in the Ramayana as well. Yet Loni is now in the global headlines for having the world's worst air quality in 2025, with PM2.5 levels over twenty times the WHO's safe limits. It is closely followed by Byrnihat in Meghalaya, Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Ula in West Bengal," Ramesh said on X.

The National Clean Air Programme needs a complete revamp to focus sharply on the reduction of PM2.5 levels, which has become a severe public health disaster across the country, the Congress general secretary asserted.

His remarks come days after the World Air Quality Report-2025 stated that India is the sixth most-polluted country when it comes to levels of fine particulate matter, a major air pollutant, while Loni is the most polluted city around the globe, and Delhi is at the fourth spot.

The eighth edition of the report published by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, analysed data from monitoring stations across 9,446 cities in 143 countries, regions and territories.

According to the report, Pakistan is the most polluted country, followed by Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Chad and Congo, with India at the sixth spot.

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Among the 10 most polluted cities across the globe, five are from India -- Loni, Byrnihat, Delhi, Ghaziabad and Ula.

"The world's 25 most polluted cities were all located in India, Pakistan and China, with India home to three of the four most polluted. Loni, India, was the most polluted city, recording an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 112.5 g/m³-a nearly 23 per cent increase from 2024 and more than 22 times the WHO guideline," the report said.