The World Bank has recently published a report titled “Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia”. The document elaborates on how current policies, although implemented mainly since 2018, will produce outcomes but not to the expected level.
Major Highlights of the Report
The report mentions six extensive airsheds where the air quality in one can impact that in another. These include West/Central Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), Central/Eastern IGP, two zones in Middle India, Northern/Central Indus River Plain, and the Southern Indus Plain extending further west. It is noted that when wind direction is primarily northwest to southeast, 30% of the air pollution in Indian Punjab is from Pakistan’s Punjab Province. In addition, 30% of air pollution in Bangladesh’s largest cities originates in India.
Moreover, more than 60% of South Asians are exposed to an average of 35 µg/m3 of PM2.5 annually, with figures escalating to as high as 100 µg/m3 in some parts of the IGP – close to 20 times the upper limit recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Dominant Sources of Air Pollution
While large industries, power plants, and vehicles are the dominant sources of air pollution globally, South Asia witnesses substantial additional contributions from other sources like cooking and heating using solid fuels, emissions from small industries like brick kilns, waste burning, and cremation.
Recommendations Provided
To reduce particulate matter, the government can initiate measures, but significant reductions in airsheds need coordinated policies across these regions. Changing approach towards improving air quality and reducing pollutants to levels deemed acceptable by WHO is crucial.
Moreover, curbing air pollution requires not only tackling its specific sources but also coordinating closely across local and national jurisdictional borders. Regional cooperation can implement cost-effective joint strategies leveraging the interdependent nature of air quality. One such strategy could bring down average PM 2.5 exposure in South Asia to 30 µg/m³ at a cost of USD 278 million per µg/mᶾ of reduced exposure and save over 7,50,000 lives annually.
Understanding Airsheds
An airshed, as defined by the World Bank, is a common geographic area where pollutants get trapped, creating similar air quality for everyone.
Related Steps Taken
Several steps have been taken to combat this issue. The National Clean Air Campaign (NCAP), launched in 2019, is targeted at reducing air pollution in India’s most polluted cities. Other initiatives include the establishment of the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) Portal’s Air Quality Index (AQI), Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi, promoting BS-VI Vehicles and Electric Vehicles (EVs), forming a new Commission for Air Quality Management and providing subsidy to farmers for buying Turbo Happy Seeder (THS) Machine to reduce stubble burning. The National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) also monitors four air pollutants regularly.
These actions have been undertaken with an understanding that a calculated approach to dealing with atmospheric gases is necessary, as evidenced by previous evaluations such as the UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ), where the value of the Air Quality Index was determined considering several key atmospheric gases.