Breathless among pollutants

The first update to the standards since 2005 has been released in cognisance of the reality that the consequences of air pollution on human health are much more detrimental than earlier estimated. The acceptable levels of the six most common air pollutants including PM2.5, PM10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide have been revised. Interestingly, a few reports said this reassessment might not impact India severely, considering the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are not in line with the WHO’s present-day standards. For instance, if one were to look at just one metric - i.e. the annual mean of particulate matter concentration (PM2.5), this deviation will become clear.

The upper limit of annual PM2.5 as per WHO’s 2005 standard, which is now followed by all nations, is 10 micrograms per cubic metre (g/m3). This has now been revised to 5g/m3. However, as per India’s NAAQS which was last revised in 2009, the permissible annual limit is 40g/m3. Similarly, India’s PM2.5 24-hour mean is four times as much (60)when compared to WHO’s revised limit for the same metric (15). According to Greenpeace, the new guidelines paint a scary picture as far as India’s air pollution levels are concerned. Among 100 global cities, metros in India now boast of annual PM2.5 trends that are in multiples of WHO’s revised limits. In Chennai, the PM2.5 trend is 5.4 times that of the WHO norm, whereas Delhi’s trend is 16.8 times more. Close on its heels are Ahmedabad and Kolkata at 9.8 and 9.4 times, respectively.

Thanks to the level of pollutants in the air in any given major city in India, almost the whole nation could be considered polluted. PM2.5 and PM10 which are among the most common pollutants are the primary causes of respiratory ailments and the WHO has estimated that as much as 90 per cent of the world’s people lived in areas that did not meet its 2005 pollution standards. Over 70 lakh people perish globally, due to diseases caused by air pollution. Sadly, India has the distinction of being one of the most polluted nations.

So how do we mitigate this mushrooming crisis? The government has a National Clean Air Programme, which aims for a reduction of 20% to 30% in PM concentration by the year 2024, keeping the year 2017 as the base for comparison. But that must be supplemented by on-ground efforts to address industrial and vehicular pollution. The Centre’s flagship programmes such as Swachch Bharat, Namami Gange and Smart City Missions are all working towards initiatives that would lead to significant improvements in air quality. The Ujjwala scheme which catalysed a transition from traditional cooking fuels to LPG is also a major plus for countering air pollution. There are challenges in policy-making, execution and enforcement, surrounding air quality norms too. Pollution management in India is centred on the imposition of bans, fines and closure of power stations. It is also questionable as to why there are no actionable collaborations between the environment and health ministries. India is also pressing forth with its vision of electrifying vehicles in a major way. Now, 13 states including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and AP have dedicated EV policies to promote their adoption. Manufacturers of EVs need an incentive to price EVs in affordable brackets. The biggest entry barrier is the initial costs and the fact the charging infrastructure is just getting set up.

The Central Pollution Control Board has a tall order on its hands as it now must revise its air quality guidelines. Policymakers will also need to bring together different departments to ensure that the end goal does not stray far from the actual intent of saving lives through better mitigation of pollution-related issues.