В городах Гуджарата уровень загрязнения воздуха превышает национальные нормы на фоне роста автопарка и слабости контроля

PM10 levels in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara remain above India’s national standard, despite long-term reductions since 2017-18. New vehicle registrations in Gujarat rose from 15.69 lakh in 2022 to 20.90 lakh in 2025, an increase of about 33% in four years. A 2026 CAG report raised concerns over weak enforcement, including expired pollution under control certificates and fitness certificates issued without valid pollution checks. Gujarat is widely associated with economic growth and industrial prosperity. But its major cities are also struggling with air pollution.Four of the state’s cities, Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara, are covered under India’s National Clean Air Programme. Yet annual average PM10 levels in all four cities remain above the national standard of 60 micrograms per cubic metre. Vehicle emissions, smoke and road dust are considered among the main sources of pollution in these cities. According to 2025-26 data available on PRANA, the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) portal for tracking progress under the National Clean Air Programme, annual average PM10 levels in all four Gujarat cities remain well above the national standard. In Ahmedabad, the annual average PM10 level in 2025-26 was around 100 micrograms per cubic metre. This is lower than the level of around 162 micrograms per cubic metre recorded in 2017-18, but still about 67 per cent higher than the national standard. In Surat, PM10 was around 86 micrograms per cubic metre in 2025-26. This is down from around 130 micrograms per cubic metre in 2017-18, but remains about 43 per cent higher than the national standard. In Rajkot, PM10 levels were around 98 micrograms per cubic metre in 2025-26, compared with around 149 micrograms per cubic metre in 2017-18. While there has been a long-term reduction, the current level remains around 63 per cent higher than the national standard. In Vadodara, PM10 levels were around 98 micrograms per cubic metre in 2025-26, compared with around 150 micrograms per cubic metre in 2017-18. Pollution levels have fallen, but PM10 remains about 63 per cent above the national standard. Taken together, Ahmedabad has the highest current PM10 level, at around 100 micrograms per cubic metre, followed by Rajkot and Vadodara at around 98 micrograms per cubic metre, and Surat at around 86 micrograms per cubic metre. These four cities are monitored on the basis of progress under their clean air action plans and air quality data reported on the CPCB’s PRANA portal. Vehicular pollution is one of the major sources of air pollution in Ahmedabad. An official study of the city found that transport was responsible for about 27 per cent of PM2.5 pollution and about 20 per cent of PM10 pollution. A 2024 study on air quality in Ahmedabad by Himalaya Bhakhar, Rita N Kumar and Nirmal J I Kumar examined nitrogen dioxide, sulphur oxide, ammonia, fine particulate matter PM2.5 and particulate matter PM10 in industrial, urban and rural areas during the post-monsoon, pre-monsoon and monsoon periods. The study found that PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 98.86 to 176.88 micrograms per cubic metre in industrial areas, 85.72 to 138.34 micrograms per cubic metre in urban areas and 36.49 to 67.79 micrograms per cubic metre in rural areas. Similarly, PM10 levels ranged from 83.45 to 203.17 micrograms per cubic metre in industrial areas, 115.44 to 183.72 micrograms per cubic metre in urban areas and 49.61 to 87.37 micrograms per cubic metre in rural areas. The study identified vehicle emissions and ongoing construction as the main contributors to pollution in Ahmedabad’s urban areas. The researchers also noted that fossil fuels, particularly those used in automobiles, are the largest source of nitrogen dioxide emissions from human activities. Vehicles are considered the third-largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in Gujarat, after industrial energy consumption and public power generation. According to the online Gujarat Climate Action Tracker, prepared by the Gujarat government’s Climate Change Department in June 2025, road transport accounted for 13 per cent of the state’s total carbon dioxide emissions in 2023, behind industrial energy consumption at 19 per cent and public power generation at 17.5 per cent. In major districts such as Ahmedabad and Rajkot, the contribution of vehicles was much higher. Vehicle emissions accounted for 36 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions in Ahmedabad and 52 per cent in Rajkot, while industrial energy contributed 4.7 per cent and 11.2 per cent, respectively. In Vadodara and Surat, the transport sector contributed 23 per cent and 13.5 per cent, respectively. The rapid rise in carbon dioxide emissions from road transport is clear from the state’s long-term data. Emissions from the sector increased from 6.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2005 to 32.2 million tonnes in 2023, an almost fivefold increase. The rising number of vehicles is one reason for the increasing contribution of transport to pollution. Around 15.69 lakh new vehicles were registered in Gujarat in 2022. According to VAHAN, the online portal of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, this increased to 18.22 lakh in 2023, 18.99 lakh in 2024 and 20.90 lakh in 2025. Diesel vehicle registrations have also increased. In 2022, 1.88 lakh new diesel vehicles were registered in Gujarat. This rose to 2.44 lakh in 2023, 2.51 lakh in 2024 and 2.57 lakh in 2025. According to available data, approximately 29.3 million vehicles are currently registered in the state. Gujarat remains heavily dependent on petrol and diesel. Of the total registered vehicles, more than 20.8 million are petrol vehicles and more than 4.3 million are diesel vehicles. This means the total number of vehicles running on these two conventional fuels alone exceeds 25.1 million. There are also about 18.47 lakh petrol-CNG vehicles. This dependence is a concern because the number of vehicles continues to grow, while petrol- and diesel-based transport directly contributes to air pollution and carbon emissions. Among the top five Regional Transport Offices in Gujarat, Surat, or GJ-5, has the highest number of vehicle registrations, with around 34.02 lakh vehicles. This is followed by Ahmedabad, or GJ-1, with 30.42 lakh vehicles, Rajkot, or GJ-3, with 20.72 lakh vehicles, Vadodara, or GJ-6, with 20.61 lakh vehicles and Ahmedabad East, or GJ-27, with around 13.4 lakh vehicles. Together, these five RTOs account for around 1.19 crore vehicles, reflecting the high concentration of vehicles in Gujarat’s major urban centres. Ahmedabad has two RTOs. Fossil fuels, particularly petrol and diesel, play a major role in vehicular pollution. Their combustion releases pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and fine particles. Pollution from diesel vehicles is of particular concern. According to an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment, diesel contributes about 74 per cent of PM2.5 emissions from road transport in India and about 70 per cent of nitrogen oxide emissions. Gujarat’s vehicle registration data highlights this challenge. Diesel vehicles account for 15 per cent of the total registered vehicles in the state. As of August 13, 2026, about 4.33 million diesel vehicles were registered in Gujarat. Incomplete data from 2026 cannot be compared with full-year figures, but 1.82 lakh new diesel vehicles had been registered so far in the year. The picture for petrol-powered vehicles is also worrying. When all petrol variants, including petrol, petrol E20, petrol-CNG and petrol-hybrid vehicles, are combined, the number of new petrol-powered vehicles increased from 12.58 lakh in 2022 to 16.51 lakh in 2025. Their share of total new vehicles was also around 79 per cent in 2025. CNG has been promoted as a cleaner fuel in Gujarat. But CNG-powered vehicles account for only 23.69 lakh, or 8.1 per cent, of the state’s total 29.3 million registered vehicles. More than 90 per cent of registered vehicles rely on other fuels. New CNG vehicle registrations have increased steadily. Gujarat registered 1.32 lakh new CNG vehicles in 2022, 1.88 lakh in 2023, 2.23 lakh in 2024 and 2.49 lakh in 2025. This means the share of new CNG vehicle registrations increased from 8.4 per cent to 11.9 per cent between 2022 and 2025. Around 1.70 lakh CNG vehicles have been registered so far in 2026, accounting for about 12.5 per cent of all new vehicles registered during this period. The rising share of CNG suggests some movement towards cleaner fuel. But its impact on pollution levels in Gujarat’s cities appears limited, according to a study published in 2022. The study, published in Environmental Science: Atmospheres, compared PM2.5 pollution in four Gujarat cities between 1998 and 2020. It found that annual average PM2.5 in Ahmedabad increased from 41.7 micrograms per cubic metre in 1998 to 51.2 micrograms per cubic metre in 2020, a 23 per cent increase. In Rajkot, PM2.5 increased from 31.3 to 43.7 micrograms per cubic metre, a 40 per cent rise. In Surat, it increased from 26.0 to 41.2 micrograms per cubic metre, the highest increase among the four cities at 59 per cent. In Vadodara, PM2.5 levels increased from 33.1 to 45.2 micrograms per cubic metre, a 37 per cent rise. CNG use in these cities had started increasing in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Yet by 2020, PM2.5 levels in all four cities remained higher than in 1998. VAHAN data on Gujarat’s rising vehicle numbers, and the continued dominance of petrol and diesel vehicles, shows the scale of the state’s transport pollution challenge. A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, released in March 2026, also raised concerns about enforcement. CAG Report No. 1 of 2026 questioned the functioning of the Gujarat Transport Department. An examination of data from April 2019 to March 2024 found that 39,12,554 vehicles had pollution under control certificates that had expired by December 31, 2023, but had not been renewed. It also found that 69,26,536 vehicles registered between 2009 and 2019 had not had their pollution under control certificates renewed even once in five years. During the same period, 1,95,209 vehicles were issued fitness certificates without valid pollution under control certificates, the report said. The CAG described this as poor compliance with regulations and inadequate oversight. It said the Transport Department was responsible for ensuring that only vehicles with valid pollution under control certificates were allowed to ply on roads, as this was essential to reducing environmental pollution. The state cited an e-detection system, but the CAG said the system was not functioning effectively at the time of the audit. This means Gujarat’s vehicle pollution challenge is not limited to the rising number of vehicles and continued dependence on fossil fuels. The system for inspecting existing vehicles and enforcing pollution rules also remains weak.