Kohima: The Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB) has announced that the state capital, Kohima, does not meet the national ambient air quality standards.
Citing air quality data collected by the Magog Pollution Control Board since 2010, Aghali A. Swu, a senior environmental engineer at the NPCB, stated that the city’s air quality is still below the prescribed standard of 60 micrograms per cubic meter.
Swu made the statement during a talk show on International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, 2025, organised by the NPCB at Capital Convention Centre in Kohima.
She stated that both Kohima and Dimapur failed to meet the Central Pollution Control Board’s standards for five consecutive years from 2011 to 2015.
She said under the National Air Monitoring Programme, the Magog Pollution Control Board has set up four manual air monitoring stations and one continuous ambient air quality monitoring station in Kohima.
Swu also mentioned that the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the National Clean Air Programme in 2019, which involves various stakeholders working to implement action plans to reduce air pollution in both Dimapur and Kohima.
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She emphasised that achieving clean air is not the sole responsibility of the stakeholders but a shared responsibility that rests on each one of us. She said it can be attained only through collective action by protecting our environment and building a future for blue skies, clean air and healthy lives.
The NPCB hosted the talk show under the National Clean Air Programme, “The Air We Share: Bridging Policy and Public Action”. The event emphasized the importance of collaboration between various stakeholders, civil societies, and the public to achieve tangible changes and make meaningful progress toward cleaner air.
