Fighting air pollution will take more than masks and symbolic fixes

A new study by the Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) at the University of Chicago has confirmed what millions of Indians feel every day — the air they breathe is silently cutting their lives short. Far from being a problem confined to the smog-choked skies of Delhi and northwestern India, the effects of air pollution are being felt across the country. On average, Indians are losing 3.5 years of life expectancy to particulate pollution, which has a far greater impact than malnutrition, tobacco use, or unsafe water and sanitation. The numbers highlighted in the report are grim. In 2023, India’s average annual concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) stood at 41 μg/cubic metre (1 μg is one-thousandth of 1 milligram) — more than eight times the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) recommended limit of 5 μg/cubic metre, and even marginally higher than India’s own weaker standard of 40 μg/cubic metre. 

The human cost is staggering. If India were to bring its pollution levels down to WHO norms, life expectancy will increase for everyone. In Delhi, which is now the global poster child for polluted cities, the potential gain rises to 8.2 years. In the northern plains, home to over half a billion people, residents could add five years to their lives if clean air became the norm. Outside North India, states such as Chhattisgarh, Tripura, and Jharkhand also report some of the country’s highest particulate concentrations, cutting short lives by an estimated 3.7 years. Clearly, bad air is now a nationwide emergency. Emission from neighbouring South Asian countries is also drifting across borders, worsening conditions in India. 

To its credit, the government has been working in this area. The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in 2019, set ambitious goals of reducing PM2.5 levels by 20-30 per cent from 2017 levels by 2024. In 2022, this was revised upward to a 40 per cent reduction by 2026 across 131 “non-attainment” cities. Some progress is visible. As of 2023, particulate pollution in these cities has declined by 10.7 per cent, adding six months to the lives of nearly 445 million people. Fuel standards have also improved from Bharat Stage-IV to Bharat Stage-VI, and as many as 22 cities now meet India’s national standards. However, these standards remain far more lenient than WHO guidelines, and the gap in ambition translates directly into lives lost. 

China, on the other hand, provides a telling contrast. Within a decade of determined policy action, Beijing reduced pollution levels by nearly 40 per cent. India’s challenge is larger, but the lesson is clear. Incremental steps alone will not suffice. The transition to clean energy must be accelerated, whether through programmes like PM Surya Ghar for rooftop solar, PM Kusum for clean farm energy, or stronger incentives for electric vehicles. Tackling stubble burning requires more than seasonal crackdowns; it calls for crop diversification, investment in waste-to-energy plants, and accessible alternatives for farmers. The EPIC report comes just months before the annual pollution season grips northern India again. If the past is any guide, air purifiers will hum in urban homes and masks will reappear. The evidence is clear. Air pollution is not a seasonal affliction. It is a year-round, nationwide crisis that is silently robbing Indians of years of life.