Tracking India’s Air Quality: The National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP)

Air pollution is one of India’s most pressing environmental challenges, affecting millions of people across cities and towns. To address this, the country relies on a robust data backbone – the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). Operated by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), NAMP is India’s primary system for tracking what we breathe. It collects ground-level air quality data from hundreds of monitoring stations, providing the foundation for pollution control policies, health advisories, and public awareness. Let’s take a closer look at how this programme works, why it matters, and how it shapes India’s fight against air pollution.

What is the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP)? 🔗

NAMP is a nationwide initiative executed by the CPCB under the mandate of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. The programme was designed to systematically collect ambient air quality data from across the country, assess whether prescribed air quality standards are being met, and track pollution trends over time. As of late 2024, the NAMP network consists of approximately 966 operating stations spread across 419 cities and towns in 28 states and 7 Union Territories.

The programme is not run by CPCB alone. It operates through a collaborative framework involving State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), Pollution Control Committees (PCCs), and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) in Nagpur. CPCB coordinates all these agencies, providing them with technical and financial support while ensuring uniformity and consistency in data collection.

Core objectives of NAMP 🔗

NAMP was established with several clear goals. These include determining the current status and long-term trends of ambient air quality across India, checking whether the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) set by CPCB in 2009 are being violated, and identifying cities that fail to meet these standards – known as non-attainment cities. The programme also seeks to build understanding of natural atmospheric processes such as pollutant dilution, dispersion, dry deposition, and chemical transformation, which help with developing preventive and corrective pollution control measures.

Monitoring and data collection: how NAMP tracks air pollutants 🔗

At each monitoring station, NAMP tracks four key air pollutants on a regular basis: Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂), Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (PM10), and Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5). These pollutants are chosen because of their direct impact on respiratory health, cardiovascular disease, and overall mortality. SO₂ and NO₂ are primarily emitted from vehicle exhaust, industrial processes, and power plants. PM10 and PM2.5 come from construction dust, vehicular emissions, waste burning, and industrial activity.

In addition to pollutant concentrations, NAMP also records meteorological parameters – wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and temperature. Weather conditions significantly influence how pollutants disperse or accumulate in the atmosphere, so integrating this data helps analysts understand why pollution spikes in certain seasons or locations.

Sampling methodology 🔗

The monitoring process follows a structured protocol. Pollutant sampling is carried out for 24 hours at a time, with gaseous pollutants sampled every 4 hours and particulate matter sampled every 8 hours. This happens twice a week, yielding approximately 104 observations per station per year. Samples collected at each station are then analyzed in laboratories run by SPCBs and other designated agencies using standardized methods outlined in CPCB’s monitoring guidelines.

To maintain data reliability, CPCB has implemented a multi-layered quality assurance process. Officials from CPCB’s regional offices routinely inspect monitoring stations and laboratories. The board also conducts Ring Test exercises – a form of analytical quality control – to evaluate laboratory performance across the network. Regular review meetings and training programmes for field and laboratory staff further support data quality.

It is worth noting that since NAMP operates through many different agencies and personnel, CPCB itself advises that the data be treated as indicative rather than absolute. Variations in sampling, personnel, and equipment across such a wide network are inevitable, but the rigorous QA/QC measures help keep the data credible and useful for policy purposes.

Impact of NAMP on air quality management 🔗

NAMP’s real value lies in what its data enables. The programme provides the empirical foundation for nearly all major air quality decisions in India – from identifying problem cities to shaping national-level clean air strategies.

Identifying non-attainment cities 🔗

One of NAMP’s most significant contributions has been in identifying non-attainment cities – urban areas that consistently fail to meet NAAQS. Using NAMP’s historical monitoring data from 2011 to 2015, CPCB identified 102 cities that exceeded national standards for PM2.5, PM10, or NO₂ over five consecutive years. This list, later expanded to 131 cities, became the basis for India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in January 2019 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

NCAP set an ambitious target – originally a 20-30% reduction in particulate matter concentrations by 2024 compared to 2017 levels, later revised to a 40% reduction in PM10 by 2026. Without NAMP’s baseline data, setting such targets or tracking progress against them would simply not be possible. Each of the 131 cities was required to prepare City Action Plans (CAPs) tailored to local pollution sources, whether road dust, vehicles, construction, industrial emissions, or waste burning.

Tracking pollution trends over time 🔗

NAMP enables year-on-year comparisons of pollution levels in specific cities and regions. This trend analysis is critical for evaluating whether interventions – such as stricter vehicle emission norms, industrial compliance drives, or road dust mitigation – are actually working. According to an assessment published in Atmospheric Environment, during the NCAP period between 2019 and 2023, the overall Air Quality Index recorded a drop of about 13%. However, the picture is uneven: the fraction of cities with very poor PM2.5 levels (above 120 µg/m³) dropped from 30% to 20%, but around half the cities continued to have PM10 concentrations above 150 µg/m³.

This kind of granular analysis would be impossible without the continuous data flow from NAMP stations. The programme’s data helps policymakers identify which cities are improving, which are stagnating, and which are getting worse – enabling more targeted resource allocation.

Supporting expanded monitoring under NCAP 🔗

NCAP itself called for a significant expansion of the NAMP network, aiming to grow from around 703 stations to 1,500 manual stations by 2024. As of late 2023, approximately 931 manual stations were operational – a meaningful increase, though it fell short of the target. Alongside this, over 530 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) have been deployed, which provide real-time data as opposed to the twice-weekly manual readings under NAMP. According to a progress report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), the rural monitoring network remains particularly underdeveloped, with only 26 manual stations covering rural areas.

Public awareness and accessibility of air quality data 🔗

Data is only useful if people can access and understand it. Over the years, CPCB has taken significant steps to make NAMP-generated air quality data available to the public, researchers, and civil society organisations.

The National Air Quality Index (AQI) 🔗

One of the most impactful tools built on NAMP data is India’s National Air Quality Index. The AQI converts complex pollutant concentration data into a single number and colour code that ordinary citizens can understand at a glance. It categorises air quality into six levels – from “Good” to “Severe” – based on concentrations of pollutants including PM2.5, PM10, SO₂, NO₂, CO, and Ozone. CPCB publishes a daily AQI bulletin on its website, covering cities across India. This regular communication has been instrumental in raising everyday awareness about air pollution levels.

The Sameer app 🔗

To extend this accessibility to smartphones, CPCB developed the Sameer app, which provides hourly AQI updates based on data from CPCB’s monitoring network. The app not only displays real-time air quality information but also allows citizens to register and track complaints related to air pollution, with the option to include photographs. This two-way communication channel turns a monitoring programme into a civic engagement tool, enabling residents to flag local pollution issues directly to authorities.

The PRANA portal 🔗

For tracking policy-level progress, CPCB hosts the Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities (PRANA). This online portal tracks both the physical and financial progress of city-level clean air action plans under NCAP. It also serves as a public information resource on air quality management efforts. Cities are ranked under the annual Swachh Vayu Survekshan exercise, which evaluates their performance in implementing action plans and improving air quality – and the top performers receive recognition as “National Clean Air City.”

Source apportionment and informed decision-making 🔗

NAMP data also feeds into source apportionment studies, which help determine which pollution sources contribute most to poor air quality in specific cities. These studies are essential for designing effective interventions – for instance, a city where transport is the dominant pollution source needs different strategies than one where industrial emissions are the primary concern. However, progress here has been slow. By late 2024, only about 50 out of 130 NCAP cities had completed source apportionment studies, and just 17 had published detailed reports, according to a 2025 CREA review.

Challenges and the road ahead 🔗

Despite its foundational role, NAMP faces several challenges. The network’s manual monitoring approach – sampling just twice a week – provides limited temporal resolution compared to the real-time data from CAAQMS stations. Coverage gaps remain significant, especially in rural India and smaller towns. The original NCAP target of 1,500 manual stations has not been met, and many cities still lack continuous monitoring infrastructure.

Data quality is another ongoing concern. With multiple agencies and hundreds of personnel involved in sampling and analysis, maintaining consistency across the network requires constant vigilance. CPCB’s quality control measures – inspections, ring tests, training programmes – are essential but resource-intensive.

There is also the question of fund utilisation. NCAP allocated significant budgets for clean air actions in non-attainment cities, but reports indicate that a substantial portion of these funds remains underutilised. For example, only about 40% of the funds allocated to 82 non-attainment cities had been spent as of late 2023. Without efficient spending, even the best monitoring data cannot translate into cleaner air.

Looking forward, the integration of NAMP’s manual stations with the expanding network of CAAQMS, satellite-based monitoring, and low-cost sensor technologies could significantly strengthen India’s air quality monitoring capabilities. The push towards an airshed-based approach – where regional clusters of cities coordinate their pollution control efforts – also represents a promising direction.

Why NAMP matters for every citizen 🔗

NAMP is more than a technical monitoring programme. It is the data infrastructure that makes evidence-based air quality management possible in India. Every time a city is declared non-attainment, every time the AQI flashes “Poor” on the Sameer app, every time a policy decision is made about vehicular emissions or industrial standards – NAMP data is at the centre of it. The programme connects the science of air quality measurement to the policies that protect public health and the tools that empower citizens to demand cleaner air.

What do you think? Given that many Indian cities still fail to meet national air quality standards despite years of monitoring, what additional steps do you think could make NAMP more effective in driving real pollution reduction? And how much of a difference do public-facing tools like the AQI and Sameer app make in shaping individual and community responses to poor air quality?

References

1. https://cpcb.nic.in/about-namp/
2. https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/1389?locale=en
3. https://cpcb.nic.in/quality-assurance-quality-control/
4. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1909910&reg=3&lang=2
5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1352231024006496
6. https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/tracing-the-hazy-air-2024-progress-report-on-national-clean-air-programme-ncap/
7. https://www.data.gov.in/catalog/sameer-national-air-quality-index
8. https://prana.cpcb.gov.in/
9. https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/tracing-the-hazy-air-2025-progress-report-on-national-clean-air-programme-ncap/