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Lok Sabha Elections 2024: India prides itself on being one of the world's fastest growing major economies, but its reputation as one of the world's most polluted cities is taking a toll. According to a report released by Swiss organization IQAir on global air quality, it is the third most polluted country in the world after India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This ranking is based on the density of particles 2.5 microns or less (PM 2.5) in the air. Apart from lung and heart diseases, it is also linked to cancer and premature death. India's ambient PM 2.5 density in 2023 is 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter, lower than Bangladesh's 79.9 milligrams per cubic meter and Pakistan's 73.7 milligrams per cubic meter.
The surprise in India's ranking is that it has fallen from eighth place in 2022 to third place in 2023. It is also noteworthy that unlike the other two countries, India's PM 2.5 density has declined since 2021. At that time it was 58.1 milligrams per cubic meter. Despite this, 42 of the world's 50 most polluted cities are in India. New Delhi has emerged as the world's most polluted capital for the second consecutive year. This figure is not at all shocking for those who live in urban India and have to visit doctors every day due to breathing problems or who are constantly exposed to the polluted environment of cities. According to IQAir report, 1.36 billion Indians, or slightly less than the total population, live in an environment where PM 2.5 concentrations are below the World Health Organization's guideline of 5 milligrams per cubic metre. Begusarai of Bihar is on top in this list. In 2022, the city was not included in this list but the annual average PM 2.5 density is estimated to exceed 118 per cubic metre. In Guwahati it has doubled from the level of 2022. Since burning of fossil fuels is the main source of PM 2.5, the poor air quality in the country also indicates that not enough efforts are being made to adopt renewable energy.
Thermal power plants still account for 70 percent of the country's total electricity generation. Even large-scale projects like the recently announced rooftop solar project have the potential to make a big difference, but it will also require significant changes in power-related policies.
A recent report by IQAir underlines how deep the pollution problem is in the country and how important it is to find sustainable solutions to achieve the target of net zero emissions by 2070. One remarkable thing about this crisis is that it has disappeared from the radar of policymakers in recent years.
What is most unusual is that pollution is absent as a political issue. No political party places pollution prevention on its agenda, nor is the idea of the right to sanitation included in the election manifesto of any major political party. The economy is paying a heavy price for this. According to the World Bank, pollution-related premature deaths caused economic losses of $37 billion in 2019. It is clear that there is an urgent need for policy action on this topic.