Nearly 44 per cent of Indian cities are grappling with chronic air pollution, pointing to a deep-rooted structural issue caused by sustained emission sources rather than sporadic pollution episodes, according to an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Despite the scale of the problem, the report noted that only 4 per cent of these cities fall under the ambit of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
The findings are based on an assessment of PM2.5 concentrations across 4,041 Indian cities using satellite data, the analysis said.
