Hyderabad: The city’s efforts to curb air pollution through cleaner mobility and scientific waste management have put Hyderabad among the list of clean-air best practices cities in the country, with its annual-average PM10 levels declining by 26.37% over the past seven years.As per the Centre’s best-practice compendium under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the EV charging network and waste-to-energy infrastructure have turned out to be key interventions supporting the city’s clean-air efforts. Together, these interventions have helped Hyderabad’s PM10 concentration fall from 110 µg/m³ in 2017-18 to 81 µg/m³ in 2024-25 — a 26.37% reduction.
One of the major initiatives showcased is the setting up of 190 public EV charging points across GHMC. TGREDCO, the state’s nodal agency for EV charging infrastructure, has also facilitated more than 470 private charging points across the city. This network is estimated to help avoid more than 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.The growing adoption of the charging network is reflected in electricity consumption. Power usage at public EV charging stations increased sharply from 34 lakh units in 2022-23 to 1,215.4 lakh units in 2025-26.Moreover, an assessment by the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), cited in the compendium, found that 25 chargers commissioned in 2023 alone helped avoid an estimated 1,221.6 tonnes of CO₂, 12.3 kg of PM2.5 and 13.7 kg of PM10 annually.The waste-to-energy infrastructure has also helped in battling pollutants. GHMC operates waste-to-energy facilities at Jawaharnagar and Dundigal, with a combined installed capacity of 62.5 MW. The plants utilise around 3,200 tonnes of segregated combustible municipal waste every day, converting waste into electricity.Dust biggest hurdleHowever, road dust, construction and demolition (C&D) waste and vehicular emissions were identified as key polluting sources in Hyderabad. Its recognised NCAP interventions are largely centred on EV infrastructure and waste-to-energy, while some other cities have focused on road dust, traffic congestion and local industrial emissions, with highly targeted interventions.Experts pointed out that Hyderabad still has a long way to go in tackling air pollution and providing residents with clean air. The sharp year-on-year rise in vehicle usage is a major concern, making it imperative to reduce dependence on motorised transport and promote non-motorised mobility such as walking and cycling, they said.“Greater emphasis should be placed on strengthening public transportation to reduce the growing dependence on private vehicles. There is also a need for stricter regulation of construction activity, particularly the use and handling of materials and practices that generate dust and other pollutants. Construction sites must be closely monitored to ensure compliance with dust-control measures. At the same time, authorities need to work towards eliminating the burning of waste,” said Narasimha Reddy Donthi, international campaigner on climate crisis.
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