India's Battle Against Air Pollution

India is one of the world's most polluted countries, with 21 of the world's 30 most polluted cities. Air pollution is a critical issue, causing approximately 1.67 million deaths in 2019, accounting for 17.8% of total deaths in the country. It also led to economic losses of US$36.8 billion in the same year. India is taking urgent steps to combat air pollution through innovative local solutions, such as the National Clean Air Program, which aims to reduce particulate matter pollution by 20-30% by 2024. Other initiatives include the Graded Response Action Plan, the use of bio-decomposers to combat stubble burning, and the Great Green Wall of Aravalli, a 1,600-kilometer-long ecological corridor. India is also working to standardize tools for airshed-based management and engaging communities and businesses to raise public awareness and support the implementation of city-level action plans.

India is standardising tools for airshed management to control air pollution across large geographic areas

India is facing a critical challenge in the form of air pollution, which is causing severe health issues and adversely impacting its economy. Recognizing the urgent need for action, India is standardizing tools for airshed management to control air pollution across large geographic areas.

The concept of airshed management involves treating a region that shares a common flow of air as a unit, as the air within it can become uniformly polluted and stagnant. India's air pollution problem extends well beyond its cities, with secondary particles and the transportation of primary and secondary particles occurring over large distances. Therefore, an airshed-based approach is crucial for effective pollution control strategies. Standardizing tools for airshed management across the country is essential to ensure that control strategies and relevant data sets can be linked, enabling a comprehensive understanding of the problem.

The World Bank has been instrumental in aiding India with its expertise in airshed management. It is supporting the development of India's first large Airshed Action Plan for the Indo-Gangetic Plain, which is one of the most polluted areas in the country. The World Bank is providing technical and advisory support to a team of Indian experts who are tailoring internationally adopted models to local conditions in the states within the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This includes the development of air action plans in specific states using the airshed management approach.

Additionally, the World Bank is introducing tools for airshed management and planning to support state and regional air quality management approaches. This initiative aims to enhance knowledge, build capacity, involve stakeholders, transfer expertise, facilitate policy adjustments, and mobilize finance for more effective government programs. By leveraging insights from projects in other countries facing similar challenges, the World Bank is helping India address its air pollution crisis.

Furthermore, India's Parliament approved a law in August 2021 to establish the Commission of Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas. This commission recognizes the need for coordinated action across local and national jurisdictional boundaries to curb air pollution effectively. India is also working towards creating its inaugural State-wide Air Quality Action Plans and the first extensive Regional Airshed Action Plan for the Indo-Gangetic Plains, demonstrating its commitment to standardized tools for airshed management.

The country has launched the National Clean Air Program to reduce particulate matter pollution by 20-30% by 2024

India has some of the worst air pollution levels in the world, with 1.4 billion people exposed to unhealthy levels of ambient particulate matter (PM2.5). This dangerous air pollutant, which is about one-thirtieth the width of a human hair, causes deadly illnesses such as lung cancer, stroke, and heart disease. In 2019, air pollution contributed to 1.67 million deaths in India, accounting for 17.8% of total deaths in the country.

To address this issue, India launched the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) in 2019, aiming to reduce particulate matter pollution by 20-30% by 2024. The program provided financial support to 131 cities, helping them expand pollution monitoring, city action plans, and public awareness campaigns. However, progress has been uneven, and by 2023, most major cities were not on pace to achieve the 2024 benchmark. Despite improvements in some cities, pollution levels in others, such as Mumbai and Delhi, have worsened.

The NCAP's success is challenged by various factors, including the need for more stringent actions to suppress dust emissions and minimize biomass burning, solid fuel burning, and waste burning. India's rapid industrialization and increasing air pollutant emissions also contribute to the complexity of reducing air pollution. Additionally, meteorological variability can impact pollution levels, making it challenging to gauge the effectiveness of policies.

To achieve its goals, the NCAP requires more technological integration and a stronger focus on clean air priorities in planning and implementation. The expansion of air monitoring stations and the development of high-quality surface measurements and atmospheric chemistry models are crucial steps in the right direction.

While the NCAP has shown significant improvement in capacity development, monitoring, fund flow, and overall awareness, achieving the overall target of reducing particulate matter pollution by 2024 will be challenging.

India is addressing the issue of tyre pyrolysis plants, which contribute to severe air pollution and health problems

India is one of the most polluted countries in the world, with 1.4 billion people exposed to unhealthy levels of ambient PM 2.5, the most harmful pollutant. The country's air pollution is caused by industrial and vehicular emissions, construction dust, and biomass burning, among other sources. This pollution has severe health and economic impacts, causing 1.67 million premature deaths in 2019 and resulting in economic losses of US$36.8 billion.

One significant contributor to India's air pollution is tyre pyrolysis plants, which recycle rubber tyres into low-grade oil and carbon black. These plants are widespread in India, and due to their low cost and quick installation, they have been increasingly adopted by the industrial sector. However, they contribute to severe air pollution and health problems. The pyrolysis process involves heating waste tires in the absence of oxygen to break down complex organic compounds into simpler molecules, such as pyrolysis oil, gas, and char. While this process can produce cheap fuel oil, the lack of proper operating procedures and technical knowledge has led to environmental disasters, with the char being landfilled, burned, or improperly disposed of, polluting the air and waterways.

Recognizing the environmental and health hazards associated with tyre pyrolysis plants, India has implemented several measures to address the issue. The Government of India has classified tyre waste as hazardous waste under the Hazardous Waste Management Rules, 2016, and prescribed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations for tyre producers under an amendment made to these rules in 2022. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the country's pollution control authority, closely monitors all stakeholders involved in the transport, storage, and processing of waste tyres.

To establish and operate a tyre pyrolysis plant in India, several licenses and permits must be obtained from local authorities, including the State Pollution Control Board (PCB), the State Industrial Department, the labour department, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). These licenses include a factory license, labour license, trade license, and consent to establish and operate the plant. The pyrolysis process is subject to regulations such as the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016, and the Pollution Control Board (PCB) regulations, which aim to minimize environmental pollution and health risks.

In addition to regulatory measures, India has also seen the development of tyre pyrolysis char upgrading plants. Klean Industries, for example, has designed and installed three such plants, with a focus on significantly improving the environmental impact of the tyre pyrolysis recycling sector. These upgrading plants aim to upcycle the tyre pyrolysis char into a high-grade commercial filler product used in various applications, reducing environmental pollution.

The government has tried to improve access to cleaner sources of fuel, such as liquified petroleum gas

India is one of the world's most polluted countries, with 21 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world located in India. The air pollution in India is caused by a variety of sources, including industrial and vehicular emissions, construction dust and debris, dependence on thermal power for electricity, waste burning, and the use of wood and dung for cooking and heating.

To address this issue, the Indian government has made efforts to improve access to cleaner sources of fuel, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Liquefied petroleum gas is a cleaner alternative to the traditional biomass fuels, such as wood and dung, commonly used in Indian households for cooking and heating. The carbon-containing gases released from biomass fuels are much more reactive than LPG, which is a cleaner-burning fuel.

The government has implemented initiatives to provide millions of households with LPG for cooking and heating, enabling a transition away from biomass burning. This has been a gradual process, as electricity or clean-burning fuel and combustion technologies must become reliably available and widely adopted in both rural and urban areas of India. Additionally, the government has removed subsidies for petrol and diesel in the early 2010s while introducing subsidies for electric vehicles in 2019.

India has set ambitious targets for renewable energy and emission reduction. The country aims for 50% of its installed capacity to come from non-fossil fuel sources and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070. To meet these goals, India needs to add around 38-40 gigawatts of renewable energy annually and invest $120-140 billion by 2030, increasing to $7.2-12.1 trillion by 2050.

The transition to cleaner sources of fuel and renewable energy is crucial for improving air quality and reducing the health and economic impacts of air pollution in India.

Several cities have activated the Graded Response Action Plan, which includes dust mitigation, waste management, and road cleaning

India is taking several measures to address the issue of air pollution, which poses a serious threat to the country's health and economy. One of the key approaches is the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in several cities. This plan includes a range of measures such as dust mitigation, waste management, and road cleaning.

GRAP is a set of emergency measures that come into effect when the Air Quality Index (AQI) of a city reaches a certain threshold. The plan is designed to prevent further deterioration of air quality and includes targeted actions for different stages of air quality deterioration. For example, during Stage I, which is categorised as "Poor Air Quality", the focus is on enforcing orders regarding old diesel and petrol vehicles. Stage II, categorised as "Very Poor" air quality, involves targeted actions to address identified hotspots in the region, including regulated operations of diesel generators across all sectors in the NCR.

Stage III, categorised as "Severe", includes strict restrictions on certain petrol and diesel four-wheelers in specific areas, and may even involve suspending physical classes in primary schools. Finally, Stage IV, categorised as "Severe Plus", is enacted when the AQI exceeds 450. At this stage, only electric vehicles, CNG vehicles, BS-VI diesel vehicles, and vehicles carrying essential commodities are permitted to enter the city.

The implementation of GRAP ensures that cities have a structured framework to respond to varying levels of air pollution. By activating this plan, cities can take proactive measures to mitigate dust, effectively manage waste, and improve overall road cleanliness, contributing to better air quality for their residents.

Frequently asked questions