Editorial: Failure of India’s anti-pollution measures

Nearly 96% of India’s population lives with air quality seven times higher than the guidelines prescribed by the World Health Organisation

By now, air pollution reports, warning about public health emergencies, have become an annual ritual. It’s business as usual for the authorities who appear to have become immune to the warnings and are refusing to learn any lessons from the past. Delhi has earned the dubious distinction of being the world’s worst-polluted city for the sixth year in a row. According to the World Air Quality 2024 report, as many as 13 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India. The report, based on data compiled by the Swiss firm IQAir from over 40,000 monitoring stations in 138 countries, serves as a grim reality check and exposes the failure of India’s anti-pollution measures. Nearly 96% of India’s population lives with air quality seven times higher than the guidelines prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The seriousness of the issue can be gauged from the fact that the PM2.5 (Particulate Matter of 2.5-micrometre diameter) level —the measure of air pollution — in the national capital was found to be 91.6 micrograms per cubic metre as against the WHO norm of 5 micrograms per cubic metre. Air pollutants are directly linked to respiratory problems, chronic kidney disease, cancer and heart attacks. The report confirms that the average citizen’s life expectancy is cut short by over five years due to hazardous air. This must sound alarm bells in the corridors of power. The steady deterioration in the air quality of several Indian cities calls for radical long-term steps to arrest the tide.

Though the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region is tasked with devising and executing plans to prevent and control air pollution in the region, the enforcement leaves a lot to be desired. Among the major factors that cause a deterioration in air quality in the NCR are stubble burning, diesel vehicles, construction work and coal-fired power plants. High pollution levels lead to a disastrous impact not just on public health but also on the country’s economy. Lung diseases caused by air pollution accounted for the highest share — 36.6%— in total economic losses, according to a study conducted by the interdisciplinary journal ‘Lancet Planetary Health.’ If corrective steps are not taken, the deteriorating pollution could impede India’s ambitious goal of becoming a $5-trillion economy. Another study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air found that air pollution costs India around Rs 7 lakh crore annually in healthcare expenses and lost labour productivity. Unfortunately, the political discourse around air pollution in India remains mired in blame games. Every winter, Delhi’s crisis is reduced to a partisan slugfest, with leaders trading accusations over stubble burning, industrial emissions and urban planning failures. They must abandon political posturing and treat pollution with the same urgency as economic growth and infrastructure development.

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