Air pollution remains a silent killer, claiming over 7 million lives annually worldwide, with India suffering disproportionately in this crisis.
According to Richard Peltier, an air quality expert from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, 100% of India’s 1.4 billion population is exposed to unhealthy levels of ambient PM2.5, the most dangerous type of air pollutant. This crisis not only poses severe health risks, including heart and lung diseases and cancer, but it also translates into staggering economic losses, with air pollution offsetting nearly 1.36% of India’s GDP in 2019.
India is proactively taking urgent steps to combat air pollution through innovative local solutions. “Persistently hazardous levels of air pollution have caused a major public health crisis in South Asia that demands urgent action,” says Martin Raiser, vice president for World Bank South Asia.
Curbing air pollution requires not only tackling its specific sources, but also close coordination across local and national jurisdictional boundaries. Regional cooperation can help implement cost-effective joint strategies that leverage the interdependent nature of air quality.”
India’s National Clean Air Programme tackles deteriorating air quality across 132 cities that fail to meet air pollution standards. This comprehensive framework promotes city-specific air quality management plans and encourages collaboration across local and national jurisdictions.
Many cities have activated the Graded Response Action Plan in response to poor air quality. In Noida, Regional Officer Utsav Sharma confirms: “The first stage of GRAP has been implemented in the city. Restrictions have come into effect with the first stage.”
Stage I of GRAP includes measures such as dust mitigation at construction sites, effective waste management, and regular road cleaning. These steps are crucial during winter months when pollution levels spike due to a combination of agricultural burning, auto emissions and industrial output.
One noteworthy initiative is the use of bio-decomposers to combat stubble burning, a significant contributor to winter pollution. Gopal Rai, Delhi’s minister for environment, forest and wildlife, development and general administration, has launched a project to spray bio-decomposer mixtures on over 2,000 hectares of farmland, converting stubble into manure and preventing harmful burning practices.
Emerging technologies including atmospheric moisture extraction are revolutionizing water sustainability. Thales Cleantech, a Chennai-based startup, has developed a method to extract potable water from the air with zero carbon emissions, highlighting the intersection of technology and environmental sustainability.
Advancements in satellite technology also play a vital role in monitoring air quality and environmental changes. “Overall, space-based data enhances our understanding of Earth’s systems, supporting sustainable development and resilience to environmental challenges,” said assistant professor Jajnaseni Rout and doctoral research scholar Dibya Jyoti Mohanty of Ravenshaw University.
The two participated as a team in the Pale Blue Dot: Visualization Challenge , an international competition developed by NASA. “These efforts often involve international cooperation,” said members of Starmap Navigator, a competing team, “fostering global partnerships to address global issues for the benefit of future generations.”
“During our research on the SDGs ,” say Naushin Fatima Khan, Manhvi Yadav, and Abhijeet Kumar of Starmap Navigator, “we discovered … that global action to reduce short-lived climate pollutants could prevent 0.6 degrees Celsius of warming by 2050. This highlighted that cutting carbon dioxide emissions and climate pollutants is essential to slowing global warming and achieving the 2 degrees Celsius target set by the Paris Agreement.”
As part of the Building Healthy Cities Project, a community-led study funded by USAID on air quality in Indore, India, local volunteers were trained to be clean air guides at 20 locations. These guides maintained and read the air sensor data, educated the community, and organized and supported advocacy efforts.
With initiatives like the NCAP and GRAP, alongside innovative technological solutions and robust research, India is positioning itself to tackle this public health crisis head-on. By embracing collaboration, research, and innovation, India can pave the way toward a cleaner, healthier future for all its citizens.
The 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22, 2024, representing a critical opportunity to accelerate global climate action and implement the historic decisions adopted at prior COPs. For further insights into air quality and ongoing efforts in India, check out the U.S. Mission India NowCast Air Quality Index
