Meghan Hodges
India has a severe air pollution problem, with 21 of the world's 30 most polluted cities in 2019. The country's air quality index (AQI) is often in the severe category, and it is estimated that air pollution causes 670,000 deaths annually in India, with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions being the leading causes. India's Central Pollution Control Board monitors four key air pollutants: sulphur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), suspended particulate matter (SPM), and respirable particulate matter (PM10). Despite efforts to improve air quality, such as the National Clean Air Programme, India continues to struggle with high levels of pollution, particularly in major cities.
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What You'll Learn
- India is the world's second most polluted country
- Air pollution causes 670,000 deaths annually in India
- Industrial pollution is the main cause of air pollution in India
- India's Central Pollution Control Board monitors four air pollutants
- India's National Clean Air Programme aims to reduce particulate pollution
India is the world's second most polluted country
The main sources of India's particulate air pollution include industrial and vehicular emissions, construction dust and debris, thermal power dependence, waste burning, and the use of wood and dung for cooking and heating in low-income and rural households. Industrial pollution accounts for 51% of India's air pollution, vehicles for 27%, crop burning for 17%, and other sources for 5%. The high levels of air pollution in India have severe health impacts on its population. According to estimates, air pollution contributes to the premature deaths of 2 million Indians every year. It is responsible for shortening the life expectancy of the average Indian by 5.3 years, with some areas, such as the National Capital Territory of Delhi, experiencing even more severe effects, with air pollution reducing life expectancy by 11.9 years.
Ambient air pollution in India is estimated to cause approximately 670,000 deaths annually, primarily from respiratory and cardiovascular conditions such as chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, and asthma. The high levels of outdoor pollution particulates lead to a 20-25% increase in hospital visits for a range of health issues associated with air pollution exposure. Additionally, about 76% of households in rural India rely on solid biomass for cooking, further exacerbating the disease burden of ambient air pollution. Despite the alarming situation, there are challenges in accessing timely and reliable air pollution data in India. The data is often scattered across various Central and State pollution control board websites and is not presented in a user-friendly format, hindering its effective utilization.
Recognizing the severity of the issue, the Indian government has taken several initiatives to combat pollution. In 2019, India declared a "war against pollution" with the launch of its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), aiming to reduce particulate pollution. The programme initially targeted a 20-30% reduction in pollution levels by 2024 in 102 cities that were not meeting the national annual PM5 standard. However, in 2022, the government revamped its target, removing the national goal but increasing city-level ambitions. The new goal aims for a 40% reduction relative to 2017 levels for 131 cities by 2025-26. If achieved, this would have significant health benefits, adding 2.1 years to the life expectancy of the average Indian living in these cities.
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Air pollution causes 670,000 deaths annually in India
India has a serious air pollution problem. In 2019, India declared a "war against pollution" and launched its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), aiming to reduce particulate pollution. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India had 14 of the 15 most polluted cities in the world in terms of PM2.5 concentrations in 2019. Cities including Delhi, Patna, Agra, and Jaipur registered very high levels of PM2.5 pollutants.
Ambient air pollution in India is estimated to cause 670,000 deaths annually, according to some sources. Other sources put the figure at 1.67 million premature deaths per year, which was the largest pollution-related death toll in any country in the world in 2019. This figure accounts for 17.8% of all deaths in the country in that year. The air pollution problem in India is particularly severe in northern states, where mortality and economic costs are higher.
The main contributors to India's particulate air pollution include industrial and vehicular emissions, construction dust and debris, waste burning, and the use of wood and dung for cooking and heating. In rural areas, biomass burning for cooking and warmth is a significant source of pollution. Approximately 76% of households in rural India rely on solid biomass for cooking.
The health consequences of air pollution in India are dire. Air pollution aggravates respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, including chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, asthma, COPD, and heart attacks. The Global Burden of Disease Study for 2010 found that air pollution was the fifth-largest killer in India, causing around 620,000 early deaths from air pollution-related diseases in 2010. According to the non-profit Health Effects Institute, over a million Indians die prematurely every year due to air pollution.
The economic costs of air pollution in India are also significant. A study estimated the air pollution-related costs to India's healthcare system at nearly $12 billion in 2019. Additionally, the economic losses due to air pollution were estimated at $36.8 billion in 2019, or 1.36% of the country's gross domestic product. Pollution-related losses could impede India's aspiration to become a $5 trillion economy by 2024.
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Industrial pollution is the main cause of air pollution in India
India is the world's second most polluted country, with 51% of its air pollution caused by industrial sources. This is followed by vehicle emissions (27%), crop burning (17%), and other sources (5%). Industrial pollution is the main cause of air pollution in India, with the country emitting about 3 gigatonnes of CO2eq of greenhouse gases each year. This is about two and a half tons per person, which is less than the world average. However, India accounts for 7% of global emissions despite having only 17% of the world's population.
The main contributors to India's industrial air pollution are emissions from factories and power plants, construction dust and debris, and waste burning. In addition, India's rapid industrialization and urbanization have led to an increase in the number of vehicles on the road, which has further contributed to the country's air pollution levels.
The effects of air pollution in India are devastating, with more than 2 million deaths attributed to it annually. It also leads to health problems such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. The economic impacts are also significant, as cleaner air would result in lower rates of absenteeism from work, higher productivity, and increased consumer spending.
To address the issue of industrial air pollution, India has implemented various measures and policies. In 2019, the country launched its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), aiming to reduce particulate pollution by 20-30% nationally relative to 2017 levels by 2024. The Indian government has also set more ambitious targets for NCAP, aiming for a 40% reduction relative to 2017 levels for 131 non-attainment cities by 2025-26. Additionally, the Confederation of Indian Industry developed a Corporate Air Emissions Reporting Guide to help businesses manage and report their emissions.
Despite these efforts, India still faces challenges in tackling industrial air pollution. The availability of reliable and timely data on air pollution needs improvement, as the data is often not easily accessible or analysis-ready. Furthermore, financial incentives arising from differential taxes on gasoline, diesel, and kerosene have led to fuel adulteration, which increases vehicle emissions of harmful pollutants.
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India's Central Pollution Control Board monitors four air pollutants
India has a serious air pollution problem. Of the 30 most polluted cities in the world, 21 were in India in 2019. A study based on 2016 data found that at least 140 million people in India breathe air that is 10 times or more over the WHO safe limit. Fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) shortens an Indian person's life expectancy by 5.3 years on average.
India's Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is the apex organisation in the country in the field of pollution control. It is a technical wing of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The CPCB has its head office in New Delhi, with nine regional directorates and one project office. The board conducts environmental assessments and research and maintains monitoring data. It also coordinates the activities of the State Pollution Control Boards by providing technical assistance and guidance and resolving disputes.
The CPCB runs a nationwide programme of ambient air quality monitoring known as the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP). The network consists of 621-966 operating stations covering 262-419 cities/towns in 28-29 states and 5-7 Union Territories of the country. Under NAMP, four air pollutants are identified for regular monitoring at all locations: sulphur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NO2), suspended particulate matter (SPM), and respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM/PM10). These are monitored for 24 hours with a frequency of twice a week, yielding 104 observations in a year. The monitoring of meteorological parameters such as wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and temperature is also integrated with the monitoring of air quality.
The key findings of India's central pollution control board are that most Indian cities continue to violate India's and world air quality PM10 targets. Despite the general non-attainment, some cities showed far more improvement than others, with decreasing trends in PM10 levels observed in cities like Solapur and Ahmedabad. This improvement may be due to local measures taken to reduce Sulphur in diesel and stringent enforcement by the government.
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India's National Clean Air Programme aims to reduce particulate pollution
India is the world's second most polluted country. Fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) shortens an average Indian's life expectancy by 5.3 years, relative to the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 5 µg/m3. In 2019, India declared a "war against pollution" and launched its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), aiming to reduce particulate pollution.
NCAP originally aimed to reduce particulate pollution by 20-30% nationally relative to 2017 levels by 2024. The programme focused on 102 cities that were not meeting India's national annual PM5 standard, termed "non-attainment cities". These cities prepared detailed clean air action plans, mapping out municipal efforts to better monitor, understand, and address local air pollution challenges. The plans also identified near-term interventions to reduce pollution from construction dust, industrial operations, and the transportation sector.
In 2022, the Indian government announced a revamped particulate pollution reduction target for NCAP, setting no national goal but increasing its ambition at the city level. The new goal aims for a 40% reduction relative to 2017 levels for an expanded number of 131 non-attainment cities by 2025-26. If achieved, these cities' overall annual average PM2.5 exposure would be 21.9 µg/m3 lower than the 2017 levels, adding 2.1 years to the life of the average Indian living in these cities.
While NCAP has helped expand air monitoring stations considerably since 2019, with 180 additional stations now in place, more action is needed to reach the national target of 1,500 stations by 2024. The availability of reliable, timely, and ready-to-use data on air pollution is one area where India can make significant improvements. Making these datasets more accessible and available in a timely manner would allow Indian citizens to participate in addressing one of India's largest public health crises.
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Frequently asked questions
As of June 2025, India's Air Quality Index (AQI) is 87, which is considered a moderate level. The real-time air pollution PM2.5 is 28µg/m³, PM10 is 68µg/m³, and the temperature is 39°C.
The main contributors to India's particulate air pollution include industrial and vehicular emissions, construction dust and debris, dependence on thermal power for electricity, waste burning, and the use of solid biomass for cooking and heating in rural areas. 51% of India's air pollution is caused by industrial pollution, 27% by vehicles, 17% by crop burning, and 5% by other sources.
India has implemented various measures and policies to address the issue of air pollution. In 2019, the Indian government launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), aiming to reduce particulate pollution. The government has also introduced programmes like the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna to improve access to clean energy options, such as LPG, for marginalized households. Additionally, India's Central Pollution Control Board routinely monitors four key air pollutants: sulphur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), suspended particulate matter (SPM), and respirable particulate matter (PM10).
