Better ambient air quality this year in Lucknow, yet not good enough, says IITR report
Though the city has observed better ambient air quality this year as compared to the previous year's pre-monsoon report, it continued to be above the permissible limits of NAAQS despite implementing air pollution control measures in the city such as enforcement of BS-VI compliant vehicles, and promotion of CNG and e-vehicles.
This was highlighted in the 'Assessment of Ambient Air Quality of Lucknow City Pre-Monsoon 2025' report released by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR) on Wednesday.
The particulate matter (PM) concentrations were observed from pre-monsoon 2024 to pre-monsoon 2025. The PM10 concentrations decreased by 9.8%, 14.6%, and 4.9% while PM2.5 concentrations declined by 13.6%, 17.2%, and 17.4% in residential, commercial, and industrial areas, respectively. However, they exceeded the NAAQS limits -- 100 for PM10 and 60 for PM2.5.
The PM10 levels remained relatively stable at Aliganj and Vikas Nagar, while Indira Nagar and Gomti Nagar showed an increase in 2024, followed by a decline in 2025.
In commercial areas, including Charbagh, the PM levels fluctuated over five years but declined in 2025 as compared to 2024. Overall, commercial areas exhibited a sharp increase in PM10 levels from 2021 to 2024, with a slight decrease in 2025, though values remained above the NAAQS limit. In the industrial area (Amausi), PM10 levels showed a variable trend, increasing from 2023 to a peak in 2024, followed by a slight decline in 2025.
The PM2.5 levels remained consistently above the permissible limit in all locations, but commercial and industrial areas consistently recorded higher pollution levels as compared to residential areas. The PM10 concentration was the highest in Gomti Nagar (residential) and Charbagh (commercial), while the PM2.5 levels were the highest in Gomti Nagar (residential) and Chowk (commercial) areas.
While both the pollutants can be harmful for health, CSIR-IITR director Bhaskar Narayan said that PM 2.5 can be severe as it can get mixed with the bloodstream.
'This downward trend suggests an overall improvement in air quality across all zones. The observed reduction in the concentration of particulate matter may be due to relatively moderate atmosphere dryness conditions during the 2025 sampling period, as compared to the completely dry seasons in 2024,' the report said.
The night time noise level trend in residential areas decreased slightly over the years, except in Aliganj, where a marginal increase was observed. In commercial-cum-traffic areas, noise levels showed an increasing trend, except for Alambagh, which showed a decline. In industrial areas, night time noise levels slightly decreased as compared to the previous year.
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