India's Pollution Battle: Can The Country Win?

India is one of the most polluted countries in the world, with air pollution causing over 2 million deaths per year. In 2019, India declared a war against pollution, and launched a National Clean Air Program to reduce particulate matter pollution by 20-30% by 2024. However, progress has been mixed, with air pollution levels in most major cities remaining the same or worsening during the winter months. India's pollution problem is multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional, requiring an airshed approach that addresses pollution sources such as transport, construction, and the operation of thermal power plants. While there have been some improvements in certain cities, India needs to take more targeted and comprehensive action to effectively combat air pollution and mitigate its devastating impacts on public health and the economy.

India's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)

NCAP is significant as it must enable a massive energy transition across industries, transport, and households. It also promotes a mobility transition to scale up integrated transport, walking, and cycling, as well as a circular economy to reduce waste emissions. However, concerns have been raised about the programme's implementation. According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while NCAP's objectives are commendable, investments have primarily focused on dust control rather than emission-spewing combustion sources such as industries and vehicles. As a result, over half of the allocated funds had not been utilised by the end of 2023.

NCAP targets the Indo-Gangetic Plains with an "airshed" approach, recognising that air quality within an airshed depends on pollution sources within it. An airshed can be defined as a region that shares a common flow of air, which may become uniformly polluted and stagnant. India's air pollution challenge requires addressing multiple sectors and jurisdictions, and standardising tools across the country is crucial for effective control strategies.

To accelerate sector-wise action, NCAP's next phase should focus on efficient sectoral funding strategies for clean technologies, fuels, green infrastructure, and urban design solutions. State governments should engage in budget forecasting and build supportive strategies to ensure resources are allocated effectively. Additionally, polluter-pays principles can be applied to design taxes and pricing mechanisms to generate dedicated funds for targeted action.

While NCAP has shown mixed results, it is a crucial initiative in India's battle against air pollution. The country has experienced extraordinarily high levels of pollution, with all 1.4 billion people exposed to unhealthy levels of ambient PM 2.5. Air pollution has led to significant economic losses and premature deaths, posing a severe threat to public health and the economy.

Air pollution's health and economic impacts

India has the highest levels of air pollution in the world, and all 1.4 billion of its population are exposed to unhealthy levels of ambient PM2.5, the most harmful pollutant. This has posed a significant threat to the country's health and economy.

Health Impacts

Air pollution has been linked to multiple adverse health outcomes in India, with short-term and long-term exposure associated with disease burden and mortality. The India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative, as part of the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2017, reported detailed findings on the impacts of air pollution on deaths, disease burden, and life expectancy. The high burden of death and disease due to air pollution could impede India's aspiration to be a $5 trillion economy by 2024. Exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to deadly illnesses such as lung cancer, stroke, and heart disease, with 1.67 million deaths attributable to air pollution in 2019, accounting for 17.8% of total deaths in the country.

Economic Impacts

The economic impact of air pollution in India is substantial, with lost output from premature deaths and morbidity attributable to air pollution accounting for economic losses of up to US$36.8 billion in 2019, equivalent to 1.36% of India's gross domestic product (GDP). The high economic cost of air pollution underscores the importance of effective pollution control strategies and the potential benefits of improved air quality for the country's economy.

While India has made efforts to address air pollution, such as the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the impact has been mixed. Some cities, like Varanasi, have seen improvements, while others have experienced worsening air quality. India's air pollution challenge is multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional, requiring an "airshed" approach that extends beyond cities to effectively control pollution sources.

Air pollution sources

India has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and air pollution is a challenge associated with this growth. India's air pollution levels are among the highest in the world, posing a significant threat to the country's health and economy. All of India's 1.4 billion people are exposed to unhealthy levels of ambient PM 2.5, the most harmful pollutant, which emanates from multiple sources.

The main sources of India's air pollution include the residential, power, and industrial sectors. The burning of solid fuels like firewood and other biomass in homes for cooking, heating, and other purposes is the leading source of ambient particulate pollution in India. Household air pollution contributes 60% more to total PM2.5 exposure than coal burning, and four to six times more than open burning and transportation. Traditional fuel use in rural India, such as fuelwood, crop residue, and dung cakes, accounts for about 90% of total domestic energy consumption, while in urban areas, it constitutes about 24%. India burns ten times more fuelwood annually than the United States, and the less efficient Indian stoves produce more smoke and air pollutants per kilogram of fuel burned.

The power sector is the second-largest contributor to air pollution in India. Coal usage for energy generation has doubled in the past decade, and coal-fired power plants are a highly polluting source of energy. Power generation is the biggest contributor to SO2 emissions (44-62%) and contributes significantly to NOx emissions (24-43%).

The industrial sector is another major source of air pollution in India, accounting for about 51% of total air pollution. Massive industrialization, including unregulated small-scale industries that burn biomass, plastic, and crude oil, has had a significant impact on pollution levels.

Transportation is also a notable source of air pollution, with vehicles emitting far more pollutants in real-world conditions than in laboratory tests. In rural areas, biomass burning for cooking and heating contributes significantly to air pollution. Additionally, large-scale crop residue burning in agricultural fields during autumn and spring is a major source of smoke, smog, and particulate pollution.

India has launched initiatives to address air pollution, such as the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce particulate matter pollution by 30% by 2024 or 2026. However, the impact of these initiatives has been mixed, and air pollution levels in many major cities have remained unchanged or worsened in recent years.

Airshed management

India has the highest air pollution levels globally, threatening the country's health and economy. All of India's 1.4 billion people are exposed to unhealthy levels of ambient PM 2.5, the most harmful pollutant, which emanates from multiple sources. The economic losses due to premature deaths and morbidity from air pollution in 2019 amounted to US$36.8 billion, equivalent to 1.36% of India's GDP.

To address this crisis, India introduced its flagship programme, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), to reduce air pollution. However, progress has been slow, with air pollution levels remaining unchanged or worsening in the winter months. As a result, discussions have turned to adopting an airshed-level management approach.

An airshed is a geographical area where topography and meteorology limit the dispersion of pollutants. Airsheds are challenging to define precisely as they are spatially variable and subject to change over time due to weather conditions and pollutant sources. Airsheds can extend beyond city boundaries, and adopting an airshed approach can improve pollution management in rural areas, which are currently neglected.

The World Bank is introducing tools for airshed management to support state and regional air quality management approaches. India's first Regional Airshed Action Plan for the Indo Gangetic Plains (IGP) aims to address air pollution in seven union territories and states. While conversations about airsheds are still nascent, urgent systemic reforms adopting an airshed-level approach are essential to tackling India's air pollution crisis.

India's pollution control bureaucracy

The Indian government has implemented initiatives to address air pollution, such as the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce particulate matter pollution by 20-30% by 2024, and the Clean Air Fund, which works with the government, businesses, and the public to achieve clean air goals. However, results have been mixed, with air pollution levels in some cities remaining the same or worsening during the winter months. There has also been criticism of the government's reliance on quick-fix measures such as smog towers, which are unlikely to have a significant impact.

The bureaucracy has been criticized for its lack of knowledge and ineffective action on pollution control. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), for example, has been described as one of the worst pollution control boards in India, with primarily political appointees or bureaucrats in senior positions who lack environmental expertise. There is also a perception that the government is reluctant to take strong action due to the strong polluter-politician-bureaucrat nexus.

Despite the challenges, there have been some successes in India's efforts to reduce pollution. For example, the city of Varanasi, the home constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saw a significant reduction in PM 2.5 and PM10 pollution levels. Additionally, the state of Gujarat launched the world's first market for particulate pollution, which has successfully reduced pollution by about 20% and is now expanding to other cities.

Overall, India's pollution control bureaucracy faces significant challenges and criticism for its handling of the country's severe air pollution problem. While there have been some positive initiatives and successes, a more comprehensive, well-planned, and science-based action plan is needed to address the complex and multi-sectoral nature of air pollution in India effectively.

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