The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has issued a landmark statutory direction imposing more stringent particulate matter (PM) emission limits on industries operating across Delhi NCR, aiming to curb a significant source of air pollution that has long degraded regional air quality.
This move is part of a broader regulatory push to strengthen industrial pollution control alongside existing measures targeting vehicles, dust and biomass burning. Under the revised standards, a uniform cap of 50 milligrams per normal cubic metre (mg/Nm³) has been prescribed for particulate matter emissions from industrial stacks — a marked tightening from the previous effective limit of 80 mg/Nm³. The Commission’s decision follows recommendations from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), informed by research conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and evaluated by a technical committee. CAQM’s statutory direction applies to 17 categories of highly polluting industries, including metal processing, textiles, food processing units with boilers, and medium-to-large industrial plants previously identified as significant contributors to airborne pollutants.
According to environmental analysts, stack emissions from such industrial units not only contribute directly to fine particulate matter levels (PM2.5 and PM10) but also interact with other pollutants to form secondary particulates that exacerbate smog conditions — particularly in winter and post-harvest seasons. The industrial emission cap comes at a time when air quality management in the NCR has become increasingly complex. The region has seen repeated invocation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to restrict vehicular movement, construction activity and open burning when pollution spikes occur — reflecting the need for multi-sectoral interventions. Stronger industrial norms complement these existing frameworks and represent a shift toward more balanced accountability across pollution sources. Implementation timelines have been clearly outlined: large and medium industries must comply with the 50 mg/Nm³ cap by August 1, 2026, while smaller units will have until October 1, 2026 to align. Entities already subject to stricter limits under existing environmental consents — such as power plants or waste-to-energy facilities — will continue to meet those standards.
This staged rollout aims to give industry time to upgrade pollution control equipment, adopt cleaner fuels, and integrate real-time monitoring systems. Regulatory authorities in the States of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, as well as respective pollution control boards, have been tasked with enforcement, compliance tracking and awareness campaigns to support industry adaptation. CAQM has also emphasised the need for intensive information, education and communication (IEC) programmes to ensure stakeholders understand the technical and health rationale behind the new norms. Industry groups acknowledge the necessity of cleaner air but have called for clarity on compliance costs and technical support, particularly for small and medium enterprises that may face financial strain in retrofitting pollution control systems. Urban and environmental planners, however, argue that tighter industrial emission standards are essential to achieving sustained improvements in air quality, especially given the limited progress seen from demand-side measures alone.
As authorities prepare to enforce the new emission caps, the focus now shifts to implementation fidelity and multi-sector coordination — key factors in whether the regulatory tightening translates into measurable improvements in breathing conditions across the populous and economically vibrant Delhi-NCR region.
