There is no conclusive data to establish a direct correlation between deaths and air pollution alone, Kirti Vardhan Singh, Union minister of state for environment, forest and climate change, said in the Lok Sabha. Air pollution is one of several factors influencing respiratory ailments and associated diseases, he noted. Other contributing factors include food habits, occupation, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity and environmental conditions, the minister added. The article published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal, titled 'Ambient Air Pollution and Daily Mortality in Ten Cities of India: A Causal Modelling Study', used statistical models and acknowledged its limitations, including the inability to analyse cause-specific mortality, he stated in the house.
As per data retrieved from the PARIVESH portal on February 4, 2025, a total of 331 proposals related to the central and state governments have been submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and respective State Environmental Impact Assessment Authorities under the provisions of the 2006 notification. This was stated by Singh in Lok Sabha.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has introduced the Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernization Program and the Vehicle Scrapping Policy to phase out unfit and polluting vehicles in an environmentally friendly manner, Singh informed the Lok Sabha.
Under this policy, vehicle eligibility is determined through fitness tests conducted at Automated Testing Stations, he added.
To meet suphur dioxide emission norms, flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems are being installed across coal-based thermal power plants (TPP), said Shripad Naik, Union Minister of State for power, in the Rajya Sabha. Of the 537 identified units (204,160 MW), FGD installation has been completed in 49 units (25,590 MW), contracts have been awarded or are under implementation for 211 units (91,880 MW), 180 units (58,997 MW) are in various stages of tendering and 97 units (27,693 MW) are in the pre-tendering phase, he added.
All TPPs must comply with emission norms set by MoEF&CC and directives issued by the Central Pollution Control Board, he shared. Notifications issued in 2015, 2021, 2022 and 2024 have specified stack emission limits, including those for sulphur dioxide, along with compliance timelines for coal-based TPPs categorised under A, B and C, the minister added.
India's performance in energy conservation ranks among the best globally, Naik told Rajya Sabha. Global energy intensity improved by 2 per cent between 2010-2019, whereas India achieved an improvement of 2.5 per cent, according to the International Energy Agency.
Between 2021-2024, global energy intensity improved by 1.3 per cent, while India's improved by 1.6 per cent, the minister said. In 2024 alone, global energy intensity is expected to improve by approximately 1 per cent, whereas India is projected to achieve a 2.5 per cent improvement, Naik pointed out. Energy intensity is measured in mega joules per dollar at 2015 purchasing power parity.
No untreated or polluted water is discharged into the rivers Ganga or Yamuna via drains in Prayagraj, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti (water resources) told the Rajya Sabha.
He added that under the Namami Gange Mission 2, the National Mission for Clean Ganga has sanctioned financial assistance for two key projects ahead of the Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh:
A project to remediate untapped drains, preventing their discharge into the rivers
A sanitation infrastructure project providing 48,100 toilets and urinals, along with 20,000 solid waste bins with liner bags
Nitrate levels exceeding permissible limits have been detected in isolated pockets across 440 districts in 23 states / UTs, according to the Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2024 by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Choudhary told Rajya Sabha.
Similarly, fluoride contamination has been identified in 263 districts in 20 states / UTs, while arsenic has been reported in 118 districts across 20 states, the minister shared with the house.
Launched in April 2022, the Amrit Sarovar Mission aims to construct or rejuvenate 75 Amrit Sarovars (ponds) in each district, totaling 50,000 nationwide, to address water scarcity, Choudhary told the Rajya Sabha. As of October 2024, over 68,000 ponds have been completed, significantly enhancing surface and groundwater availability, he informed.
The Ground Water Resources Assessment by CGWB, in collaboration with state governments, indicates a notable rise in groundwater recharge due to conservation efforts, the minister shared. Recharge from tanks, ponds, and water conservation structures has increased from 13.98 billion cubic metres (BCM) in 2017 to 25.34 BCM in 2024, highlighting the success of initiatives like Amrit Sarovar Mission.