The World Air Quality Report 2023, prepared by the Swiss technology company IQAir, was released on 19 March 2024. According to this report, India ranks as the third most polluted country in the world, following Bangladesh and Pakistan. Additionally, New Delhi, the capital of India, is identified as the most polluted capital globally. The report indicates that the concentration of PM 2.5 stands at 54.4 in the country's air quality, with the national capital recording 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter. These figures surpass the standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO) by more than 10 and 18 times in the country and its capital, respectively.
In 2023, India's ranking dropped by 5 places compared to 2022 when it held the 8th position based on PM 2.5 at 53.3 micrograms per cubic meter. Since 2018, the country's capital has consistently maintained its status as the world's most polluted capital. Additionally, the report identifies Begusarai, located in the state of Bihar, India, as the most polluted city globally, with a PM 2.5 concentration of 118.9 micrograms per cubic meter, exceeding the WHO standard by 23.7 times. Moreover, the report highlights that 13 out of the world's 15 most polluted cities and 83 of the top 100 most polluted cities are situated in India.
The data in this report underscores India's worsening air pollution situation. Based on information collected from 30,000 air quality monitoring sites across 134 countries, the report indicates that the concentration of PM 2.5 in the capitals of Puerto Rico (San Juan 2.7), New Zealand (Wellington 3.1), Australia (Canberra 3.8), Iceland (Reykjavik 3.9), Bermuda (Hamilton 4.1), Estonia (Tallinn 4.6), and Finland (Helsinki 4.9) meets WHO criteria.
PM 2.5, being the most harmful air pollutant, poses significant health risks such as asthma, stroke, heart attack, skin allergies, and lung infections upon inhalation. Moreover, it affects the average lifespan of individuals. A 2021 study by the Energy Policy Institute of Chicago revealed that air pollution impacts life expectancy, with higher pollution levels correlating with lower life expectancy. For instance, in Delhi, high levels of air pollution could decrease the average lifespan by 11.9 years, while due to lower air pollution levels in the country's southern states less effect was recorded on the average lifespan of the people living there.
Clean air, water, and food are imperative for human survival. While a person can survive for months without food and days without water, even a few minutes without air is fatal. However, breathing polluted air exposes individuals to various diseases.
PM means particulate matter and 2.5 refers to its size — 2.5 microns or 30th diameter of a hair. The smaller size PM 2.5 of pollution makes it more lethal. Due to their small size, these particles enter the human body through inhalation and cause lung, heart attack and stroke. According to a study, it also causes oxidative stress in the human body, which is linked to diseases ranging from Parkinson's to cancer. Air pollution also adversely affects the brain development of children. Research by Salvi and Kumar (2021), reveals that one out of three school-going children suffer from asthma due to high levels of air pollution in Delhi. Children's lungs are also affected by air pollution.
WHO, considering the lethal effect of PM 2.5, has reduced its concentration from 10 micrograms per cubic meter to 5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021 as the safe limit for human health. The main sources of air pollution are the increasing number of vehicles, industrial units, thermal plants, construction works, air conditioners and other electronic equipment, garbage heaps, and burning of crop residues. Vehicles are responsible for 40 per cent of emissions of PM 2.5 in Delhi. Coal use in the National Capital Region was banned in January 2023 to control air pollution, but the region still burns 1.9 million tons of coal annually.
India's prioritization of economic development over natural resources like air, water, and vegetation has led to severe neglect, with 1.3 billion people residing in areas where PM concentration exceeds WHO's safe limit. Additionally, 64% of the population lives in areas where the air quality index surpasses National Air Quality Standards.
Most European countries took a lead in the Industrial Revolution. At that time, the people in these countries linked increased air pollution to economic development. In December 1873, London was blanketed for a week in yellow fog (smog) so thick that people could not see their feet. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Mark Twain addressed his audience in a public lecture at that time, “I hear you, and so know that you are here and I am here, too, notwithstanding I am not visible”. He was of the opinion that this is a sign of economic development.
This development resulted in 780 deaths in London that year. In England, another heavy smog episode that happened in 1952, when 4000 people died in one week due to air pollution and another 8000 people died in the next month due to the negative effects of air pollution, but after learning lessons from that incident, the government of England decided to deal with air pollution by enacting and enforcing strict laws.
Most of the pollution is caused by fossil fuels and vehicles. Almost all European countries have smartened up public transport to reduce the number of private vehicles so that people prefer public vehicles to private vehicles. The Indian government should also take lessons from European countries to smarten up the public transport system across the country. With the facility of public transport, on the one hand there will be relief from air pollution, on the other hand there will be a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases, which will also make it easier to control the increasing temperature.
Along with this, the Union and State governments should ensure installation of air purifiers in industrial units. The defaulting units should be fined. Proper arrangements should be made at construction sites so that dust and soil particles do not pollute the environment. Garbage heaps should be compacted using scientific methods. Electricity should be generated from renewable sources instead of coal. The number of trees should be increased to such an extent that area under forest cover becomes one third of the total area of the country. The Union and State governments should also keep a separate fund in the annual budget to deal with air pollution problems.
Adapting cropping patterns to agroclimatic conditions and fostering citizen awareness of environmental responsibilities are crucial for maintaining a clean environment and securing the future of all Indian citizens.
Dr Gurinder Kaur is Former Professor, Department of Geography, Punjabi University, Patiala
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