Bhubaneswar: The State-Level Air Quality Monitoring Committee (AQMC) in Odisha held its 10th meeting on August 22, 2025, to discuss and review various air pollution control initiatives under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and the new State Clean Air Programme (SCAP).
Additional Chief Secretary Home, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Satyabrata Sahu reviewed the progress.
The meeting involved members from several departments, including the State Transport Authority, Forest, Environment & Climate Change, Urban Development, Industry, Agriculture and Food Production, and the State Pollution Control Board, Odisha.
The meeting addressed the progress on key action points, fund utilization, and the status of various clean air initiatives in the state.
An analysis of the PM10 concentration in the seven cities showed improvements in most, but a decline in a few.
Cuttack saw the most significant improvement with a 29% reduction in PM10 concentration, followed by Angul (28%) and Balasore (26%) between 2019-20 and 2024-25. In contrast,
Kalinga Nagar, Rourkela, and Talcher recorded an increase in PM10 concentration, with Kalinga Nagar showing a -13% change, Talcher -12%, and Rourkela -2.7%.
Swachh Vayu Survekshan results for 2023-24, Odisha’s cities performed well.
- Bhubaneswar was ranked 7th, Cuttack 9th, and Rourkela 12th in the Category-II cities (3-10 lakh population).
- Talcher ranked 4th, Angul 6th, and Balasore 7th in the Category-III cities (<3 lakh population)
The meeting also reviewed the self-assessment scores for 2023-24 and 2024-25. Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, and Angul received the highest final scores from the CPCB in 2024-25 with scores of 191, 196.5, and 197.5 respectively. Kalinga Nagar and Rourkela received the lowest CPCB scores, with CPCB noting issues with paved roads and e-mobility for Rourkela and paved roads and electricity supply for Kalinga Nagar.
The State Clean Air Programme (SCAP)
The meeting also covered the details of the new
State Clean Air Programme (SCAP), which began on June 5, 2025. The objective of SCAP is to achieve a
40% reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 over the next five years. The program is proposed to be funded with ₹150 Cr. over five years. The program will be implemented by the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department, Government of Odisha. Based on monitoring data from the last five years,
12 cities were included in the SCAP: Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Paradeep, Berhampur, Puri, Rajgangpur, Keonjhar, Joda, Barbil, Brajarajnagar, Belpahar, and Bonai.
Key activities under SCAP include :
- Developing City-level Action Plans.
- Deploying mechanical road sweepers and paving roads.
- Strengthening monitoring infrastructure.
- Implementing public outreach and capacity-building programs.
- Solid waste management and prevention of waste burning.
- Reducing industrial emissions. The program’s financial documents have been submitted and are pending approval from the Finance Department.