iFOREST, APCB Launch Guwahati’s First Hotspot-Based Clean Air Action Plan to Curb Pollution

In a significant step to tackle worsening air pollution, iFOREST, in partnership with the Assam Pollution Control Board (APCB), on Tuesday launched Guwahati’s first comprehensive hotspot-based Clean Air Action Plan, built on detailed ward-level pollution mapping.

Guwahati has been battling chronic air pollution since 2017, with particulate matter levels frequently breaching national standards. Rapid urbanisation, a surge in private vehicles, large-scale construction, waste burning and expanding industrial activity have steadily deteriorated the city’s air quality. Long-term data show a consistent rise in PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ levels between 2017 and 2022.

Experts say Guwahati’s unique geography worsens the problem. Nestled between the Khasi hills and the Brahmaputra river, the city’s bowl-like topography restricts air movement, trapping pollutants from transport, dust, cooking, waste burning and industrial emissions.

Launching the plan, iFOREST CEO Chandra Bhushan highlighted the economic and health costs of polluted air. “Air pollution costs India between 3 and 5 per cent of its GDP by damaging both public health and productivity. At its core, air pollution is smoke and dust—smoke from what we burn and dust from what we mobilise. Before revising standards, we must first meet the ones we already have. This plan is designed to do exactly that,” he said.

APCB Chairman Prof. Arup Kumar Misra said air pollution was once unheard of in the city but has now become a major concern. “Long dry spells, delayed rainfall, flyovers under construction, rising vehicle numbers, high winds and dust resuspension have emerged as key challenges. Without public cooperation, controlling pollution is extremely difficult. This plan, supported technically by iFOREST, is a sincere effort, and we remain open to dialogue,” he said.

A noted musician and composer, who has been named Goodwill Ambassador to the Clean Air Action Plan, stressed the need to take the conversation beyond elite spaces. “These discussions must reach people who otherwise have no access to such conversations,” he said.

Pollution hotspots identified

Satellite-based Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) analysis reveals clear seasonal pollution hotspots across Guwahati. During summer, high pollution levels are recorded along the silted Brahmaputra riverbanks and floodplains, construction-heavy wards, dust-prone riverbeds and major traffic corridors due to road dust resuspension.

In winter, hotspots spread across central and eastern Guwahati as poor atmospheric dispersion combines with emissions from residential heating, waste burning, commercial cooking and traffic congestion. Areas such as Fancy Bazar, Ganeshguri, Beltola, Zoo Road, Tiniali, Maligaon and Lokhra show consistently high pollution levels due to dense clusters of restaurants, tea stalls and informal food vendors.

Major markets and transport hubs, including Paltan Bazar, Bhangagarh, Uzan Bazar, Six Mile, Azara and Jalukbari, also record elevated PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ levels, driven by constant cooking activity and traffic bottlenecks. Prevailing south-westerly winds further push pollutants toward the city’s northeast, intensifying hotspot formation.

Key pollution sources

The study identifies open waste burning as one of Guwahati’s most serious pollution sources. The city generates around 884 tonnes of municipal waste daily, but only about 35 per cent is processed. The remaining waste often ends up dumped or burned. Field surveys estimate nearly 61 tonnes of waste are burned each day, emitting about 122 tonnes of PM₂.₅ and 22 tonnes of black carbon annually. The city’s landfill alone emits over 5,600 tonnes of methane every year.

Residential cooking and winter heating are also major contributors. Despite 96 per cent LPG coverage, fuel stacking remains common, particularly in slums and hill settlements where biomass, charcoal and kerosene are still widely used. Residential cooking contributes an estimated 3,900 tonnes of PM₂.₅ annually, while winter heating—largely ignored in earlier clean air plans- adds significantly to seasonal pollution.

Commercial cooking in markets and informal food clusters further intensifies evening pollution, especially where coal and charcoal are used. Transport emissions are driven by rapid growth in private vehicles, which make up about 85 per cent of the city’s fleet, along with congestion, ageing vehicles and weak enforcement of Pollution Under Control norms.

Diesel generator sets, widely used during power outages in residential, commercial and industrial areas, emit significant PM₂.₅, PM₁₀ and nitrogen oxides. Industrial sources such as brick kilns, stone crushers, cement plants and boilers—many still dependent on coal and outdated technologies- emit nearly 1,940 tonnes of PM₁₀ annually in the Kamrup Metropolitan area, with additional pollution drifting in from the nearby Byrnihat industrial cluster.

Targeted solutions proposed

The Clean Air Action Plan recommends phased, hotspot-specific interventions. These include achieving zero open waste burning through improved collection, decentralised processing and strict enforcement; accelerating clean fuel transitions for households and commercial kitchens; and introducing clean heating solutions for winter.

Other measures include strengthening transport management through better PUC enforcement, improved road infrastructure, signage and the introduction of small electric buses; mechanised road sweeping, construction dust control and post-flood silt management; and phasing out polluting industrial fuels and technologies.

The plan also proposes installing Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems in red-category industries, expanding low-cost sensor networks, and introducing automated systems to cut power supply when pollution levels spike. Community-level awareness campaigns are also emphasised, particularly to improve household waste segregation, which currently stands at just 16 per cent.

Officials said the plan marks a shift from broad, city-wide measures to targeted, data-driven interventions aimed at cleaning Guwahati’s air, where pollution is most severe.

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