Set up panel to tackle air pollution in Indo-Gangetic plains: UP to Centre

NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh government has asked the Centre to consider establishing an airshed coordination committee to manage air pollution in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, officials have said.

The Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) is a major hotspot for atmospheric pollution in India. During winter, pollution levels in the IGP sharply increase due to unfavourable weather conditions such as low temperatures and slow wind speeds.

This decline in air quality has reduced life expectancy in the region -- home to 40 per cent of India's population -- by around seven years, according to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).

In a letter dated July 22, the Uttar Pradesh government requested the Union Environment Ministry to consider setting up an airshed coordination committee for the IGP.

"Uttar Pradesh is located in the heart of the IGP. We have been advocating for addressing air pollution at the airshed level. Significant progress can be made if all states work together," a state government official said.

"Pollution travels with the air, moving from cities to villages and across state borders -- like smoke from stubble burning in Punjab that drifts into other states," the official added.

The Uttar Pradesh government's draft clean air action plan for the period up to 2035 also emphasises adopting the airshed approach to combat air pollution.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has also called on the Centre to adopt an airshed approach to tackle air pollution in the region.

An airshed refers to a geographic area where air quality is influenced by similar factors, such as wind patterns and pollution sources. Since pollution in one area can easily spread to neighbouring regions, an airshed approach promotes coordinated efforts across states.

India launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019 with a target to reduce particulate pollution by 20-30 per cent by 2024, using 2017 as the base year. The target was later revised to a 40 per cent reduction by 2026, using 2019-20 as the base year.

However, the programme currently covers only 131 non-attainment cities -- those that consistently failed to meet national ambient air quality standards between 2011 and 2015.

Experts argue that air quality was equally poor in smaller cities, towns, and villages since pollution didn't respect state or national borders.

They have urged for the adoption of an airshed approach to manage air pollution in the region.

"Most cities across the country have PM2.5 levels higher than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards but lack action plans to reduce emissions because they aren't yet included in the NCAP," said Sunil Dahiya, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

Therefore, it is important to develop a broader airshed-level clean air action plan that enforces systematic and comprehensive pollution reduction strategies, not just within city limits but also for areas beyond municipal boundaries, he added.

Piyush Bhardwaj, a research scientist working with the air quality team of the think tank Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, said typical clean air action plans designed to improve air quality over cities/states miss out on the contribution of non-local sources of pollution located in an airshed.

To achieve large-scale reductions in particulate pollution, a cross-state multijurisdictional or airshed approach needs to be adopted, he said, adding the intercity or interstate contributions to local air pollution can be calculated using air quality models.