• India faces one of the worst air pollution problems in the world.
• In 2019, out of the 30 most polluted cities globally, 21 were in India.
• As per 2016 data, at least 140 million Indians breathe air that is 10 times or more over the WHO safe limit.
• Of the world’s 20 cities with the highest annual air pollution, 13 were in India.

Main Contributors to Air Pollution

• Industrial pollution – 51%
• Vehicular emissions – 27%
• Crop burning – 17%
• Other sources (waste burning, household fuels, etc.) – 5%

Specific sources include:

• Industrial emissions from factories and thermal power plants.
• Dust and debris from construction activities.
• Use of wood and dung cakes for cooking and heating in rural and low-income households.
• Crop residue burning, especially in autumn and spring, due to it being cheaper than mechanical tilling.
• Vehicular exhaust from an increasing number of vehicles.

Health & Economic Impact

• Air pollution contributes to the premature deaths of around 2 million Indians every year.
• According to a 2013 study, lung function of Indians was found to be 30% weaker than Europeans, even among non-smokers.
• As per a 2019 Lancet study:
  • ~1.67 million deaths in India were attributable to air pollution in that year.
  • Economic cost: US $28.8 billion in lost output in 2019.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• India has low per capita greenhouse gas emissions but is the third-largest overall emitter in the world, after China and the USA.