Time to address air pollution as urgent national priority beyond environmental concern
— Renuka
(The Indian Express has launched a new series of articles for UPSC aspirants written by seasoned writers and scholars on issues and concepts spanning History, Polity, International Relations, Art, Culture and Heritage, Environment, Geography, Science and Technology, and so on. Read and reflect with subject experts and boost your chance of cracking the much-coveted UPSC CSE. In the following article, Renuka, a Doctoral researcher working on environmental governance, digs into the critical issue of air pollution in India – cause, impact, government initiatives and more.)
The recent IQAir report on air pollution is an eye-opener for India. According to the report, thirteen out of the world's twenty most polluted cities are in India, with Byrnihat of Meghalaya as the most polluted in the world.
Despite decades of legal and policy efforts, India continues to struggle with air pollution. Millions of people are gasping for clean air and suffering from serious health issues due to deteriorating air quality. Let's explore the problem of air pollution in detail.
The air quality in India is primarily monitored under the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in coordination with the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), pollution control committees, and other agencies.
It is done through both manual monitoring and real-time monitoring through Continuous Ambient Air Quality monitoring stations (CAAQMs). The monitoring of air quality is based on the Ambient Air Quality Standards notified by the CPCB in 2009, which specified permissible limits for 12 pollutants, including Airborne Particulate matter – PM10 and PM2.5.
In its 2024 report, the CPCB revealed that during 2022-2023, 50 out of 53 cities with a million plus population recorded annual average PM10 concentration above 50μg/m3. Faridabad (212µg/m³), Delhi (209µg/m³) and Dhanbad (203µg/m³) were among the most polluted cities.
Similarly, a 2024 report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reported that the city of Ganganagar in Rajasthan had an annual average PM10 concentration of 236 µg/m³ followed by Greater Noida (226µg/m³), Byrnihat (211µg/m³). The annual average concentration of PM 2.5 was the highest in Byrnihat (126 µg/m³), followed by Delhi (105µg/m³) and Gurgaon (91µg/m³).
It is important to mention here that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that annual mean concentrations of PM10 and PM 2.5 should not exceed 15 µg/m³ and 5 µg/m3 respectively.
Different pollutants contribute differently to the growing problem of air pollution across various regions in India. However, there are some common factors such as –
Industrial and vehicular emissions: Industrial and vehicular emissions constitute the key air pollutants in India, especially in urban areas. They are a significant source of PM2.5, which is considered a silent killer due to their invisible nature and serious health risks, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Indoor pollutants: Indoor combustion, building materials, and bioaerosols pollute indoor air which can be worse than outdoor air pollution in certain cases. Exposure to indoor air pollutants is linked to heart disease and respiratory illness. According to WHO, India is among the countries with the highest number of deaths related to indoor air pollution, with women and children being the most affected.
Construction and road dust: Unregulated construction activities and poor road maintenance generate large amounts of suspended particulate matter (tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the air), particularly PM10. It is an acute problem in peri-urban areas and poses health risks if inhaled.
Open waste burning (OPW): Due to poor implementation of waste management regulations, tons of waste are disposed of by burning in the open which includes domestic waste, bio-medical waste, discarded plastics, rubber, etc. OPW is a significant source of toxic chemicals including nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, black carbon, etc.
Biomass burning and forest fires: Biomass burning, especially in Rabi season, is a major reason behind the increased concentration of harmful air pollutants in Indo-Gangetic plains. Similarly, forest fires during the summer aggravate air pollution in Himalayan states. It releases particulate matter, carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants.
The regulation of air pollution in India dates to pre-independence times. Section 278 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 made it an offence to make the atmosphere noxious to health with a fine of up to Rs. 500 (increased to Rs. 1000 under Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023).
However, the first dedicated legislation to prevent, control, and abate air pollution is the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, of 1986. The act mainly focuses on industrial pollution and empowers the state government to declare air pollution control areas and make its consent necessary to establish industry in such areas.
Under this Act, state governments can also regulate vehicular pollution, which is otherwise regulated under Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989. Also, under the Environment Protection Act, of 1986, the Central government has laid down rules on noise pollution, solid waste management, construction waste management, and sector-specific emission standards.
In 2021, the Commission for Air Quality for the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act (CAQM Act) was enacted, which exclusively deals with the management of pollution in the National Capital Region and its adjoining areas in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The Act established CAQM as a statutory body with the power to take measures and issue directions to improve and protect air quality in the region.
The National Environment Policy of 2006 also acknowledged the growing menace of Air pollution, including indoor air pollution, and suggested an integrated approach to deal with it.
Apart from this, the Supreme Court of India has also played a crucial role in shaping the laws and policies on air pollution. The court has adopted a proactive approach in matters related to BSIV vehicles (Bharat Stage 4 referring to the emission standards enforced for vehicles), firecrackers pollution, stubble burning etc. In 2016 it approved the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi and NCR region which is now being implemented by CAQM.
To improve the air quality in the country, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019. Initially launched as a five-year action plan (2019–2024) to reduce PM2.5 and PM10 by 20–30%, the programme was later extended to 2026 with a revised target of a 40% reduction in PM10 levels compared to 2017.
It applied a multi-sectoral approach involving key sectors of agriculture, transportation, brick manufacturing industries and waste management. NCAP covers 131 cities and the CPCB data shows a decrease in PM10 levels in 95 cities in 2023-2024. However, the improvement in PM2.5 levels remains relatively low. PM2.5 is more hazardous to health and high exposure to it has been linked to around 1.5 million deaths every year in India between 2009 and 2019.
Moreover, as of now, 11,541 crores have been released under NCAP and only around 70 per cent of the fund has been utilised. There is disproportionate spending of funds, with most of the funds being spent on road dust management, ignoring other pollutants like industrial emissions and crop-burning which are the key sources of PM2.5.
Furthermore, data under NCAP is being collected at 1,524 air quality monitoring stations. However, studies suggest that there needs to be at least 3,000 such stations for effective monitoring.
India has a comprehensive set of laws and regulations to control air pollution. Strengthening the implementation of regulatory frameworks, expanding real-time air quality monitoring, and accelerating the transition to clean energy are essential steps towards further meaningiful improvement.
Rather than implementing cosmetic measures, governments may focus on the root causes of pollution. An affordable and sustainable public transportation system coupled with strict implementation of Industrial emissions can significantly reduce PM2.5 concentrations in the air.
Also, enhancing green cover in cities and towns, enforcing strict regulations on construction activities, and improving road infrastructure are some of the measures that could help tackle the PM10 levels. Further, addressing the challenges of biomass burning and forest fire requires technological solutions and enhanced inter-agency coordination.
Air pollution in India has taken the form of a public health crisis. It is no longer a seasonal issue or regional problem. If India is to secure a healthier and more sustainable future, addressing air pollution needs to be treated as an urgent national priority – not just an environmental issue.
What are the key causes of air pollution in India? Discuss the main differences between PM10 and PM2.5 and their health impact.
What are the major reasons behind indoor air pollution in India? What initiatives has the government taken to address the problem?
What are the primary laws and regulations the government has enacted to prevent air pollution in India? Discuss the role of the judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, on the issue of air pollution.
How do vehicular emissions contribute to air pollution? What steps has the government taken to control it?
To what extent has the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) been effective in meeting its revised targets, and what are the key obstacles in its implementation?
(Renuka is a Doctoral researcher at Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla.)
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