the-air-we-breathe

There is a familiar air to the global reports on air pollution. Year after year, ominous signals emerge from these surveys, bracketing Indian cities among the most polluted in the world, but it is again back to business as usual for the authorities.

 

The policy makers 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 live with air quality seven times higher than the guidelines prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

 

Dystopian images

 

For those living in the national capital, the arrival of winter brings a familiar sense of gloom. They are overtaken by a strong sense of déjà vu – as if they have seen this all many times in the past. For those living outside, watching the television images of Delhi smog feels like a dystopian movie. The sky becomes grey and the city is enveloped by a thick blanket of smog.

 

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 meter as against the WHO norm of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.

 

The air pollutants are directly linked to respiratory problems, chronic kidney disease, cancer and heart attacks. The latest 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.

 

The crisis deepens from October to January when colder temperatures coincide with widespread crop stubble burning. Smoke travels from the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana as thousands of farmers burn off agricultural waste after the harvest season. The heavier winter air, however, traps pollutants close to the ground, worsening the smog.

 

Public health crisis

 

The Particulate Matter of 2.5 micrometre diameter is considered the most hazardous as it gets deposited in the lungs and causes serious respiratory problems. The 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 the 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 to become 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.

 

Time for radical steps

 

There is an urgent need for multi-sector action across all regions under the National Clean Air Programme for a time-bound reduction in pollution levels.

 

The steady deterioration in the air quality of several Indian cities calls for radical long-term steps to arrest the tide.

 

Air pollution problems reflect governance failure because cities’ transportation infrastructure has not kept pace with their growing populations. But cities alone are not to be blamed for their poor air quality. Winds might carry air pollution from sources outside a city’s administrative control.

 

Ineffective initiatives

 

The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) was also launched in 2019, targeting 100 cities. The aim was to significantly enhance the air quality in chosen locations by 2026 by improving monitoring. The NCAP promised to reduce particulate matter concentrations by 20 to 30 percent and overall pollution by 40 percent compared with 2017 levels.

 

However, experts say the programme was badly designed because it focuses too much on individual cities and does not jointly integrate state-level activities.

 

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Stricter regulations and measures to reduce emissions are of utmost importance. No country can achieve economic prosperity without taking care of public health. There is an urgent need to step up investments in the state-specific air pollution control strategies to improve population health.

 

Vehicles are one of the major sources of air pollution in India, especially in urban areas. Industries are another major contributor to air pollution in India, especially in the northern and eastern regions. Some of the major challenges in tackling air pollution in the country are weak enforcement and compliance of existing regulations and standards that can prevent polluting activities, inadequate financing and incentives for clean technologies, lack of proper research and innovation, low public awareness and mushrooming of unregulated small-scale industries without proper environmental permits or controls.

 

There is a need to develop and promote low-carbon technologies such as solar panels, hydrogen fuel cells, wind turbines, biogas plants and electric vehicles that can reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.