Expert Explains: Why India needs to work with its neighbours to improve air quality, status of efforts so far

Zerin Osho, director of the India Program of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development, a think tank, explains the efforts India has made for cross-border cooperation in air quality action and successes around the world.

Why does air pollution in the IGP-HF demand cross-border cooperation?

The region functions as a single transboundary airshed, where pollutants are transported across administrative and national boundaries by prevailing winds and atmospheric circulation. Commonly, an airshed is an area with a distinct air mass such that emissions emanating in the region majorly remain within its boundaries.

The World Bank report notes that during winter months, north-westerly winds can carry particulate pollution from Pakistan’s Punjab into north-western India, accounting for upto 30% of air pollution in the Indian Punjab and adding to background levels in Haryana and the Delhi-NCR. As a result, actions by any single country, while essential, are insufficient to deliver sustained air-quality improvements across the region.

A recent modelling study led by IIT Bombay shows that a significant share of PM₂.₅ concentrations in major Indian cities arises from transboundary and inter-regional transport, with emissions from upwind states and neighbouring countries measurably contributing to local loads. The study highlights that regional atmospheric circulation enables fine particulate matter to travel hundreds of kilometres, affecting both densely populated urban centres and ecologically sensitive Himalayan foothill regions.

What mechanisms currently exist for India to coordinate with neighbouring countries on air pollution?

South Asia does not have a legally binding treaty on transboundary air pollution comparable to Europe’s Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. However, India participates in several regional and international mechanisms that enable coordination on air-quality monitoring, data sharing, and mitigation through cooperative, science-based approaches, such as the Male Declaration (non-binding in nature).

At the regional level, India engages in an airshed-based science–policy dialogue for the IGP-HF through initiatives coordinated by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and supported by the World Bank. These efforts have led to outcomes such as the Kathmandu Roadmap (2022) and the Thimphu Outcome (2024), which emphasise the need for harmonised emissions inventories, shared air-quality monitoring, and coordinated actions to reduce PM₂.₅ exposure across national boundaries.

India also participates in global cooperative platforms. It is a member of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), which supports voluntary collaboration on reducing short-lived climate pollutants through technical assistance and knowledge exchange. In parallel, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) contributes atmospheric composition data to the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (WMO GAW) programme, strengthening understanding of long-range pollution transport.

Domestically, India is institutionalising the airshed approach. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), established in 2021 by the Union Government, oversees air-quality management for the Delhi–NCR airshed, explicitly moving beyond city- and state-level boundaries. State initiatives are also aligning with this approach; for instance, Uttar Pradesh’s Clean Air Action Plan adopts regional coordination and source-apportionment across districts (UPCCCE).

In responses to Parliament, the MoEFCC has confirmed that India is progressively shifting toward airshed-based planning, regional coordination, and strengthened monitoring frameworks.

What have been the main limitations or failures, and also successes, so far in regional cooperation on air pollution in South Asia?

Lack of a sustained funding mechanism is one of the biggest limitations. The Malé Declaration is an example. The Declaration recognised air pollution as a shared regional challenge and committed countries to national actions complemented by regional cooperation. Early efforts focused on baseline air quality monitoring, capacity building, and regional assessment studies, supported largely by funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) between 1999 and 2013.

While these initiatives helped establish initial monitoring capacity and regional dialogue, progress slowed following the termination of sustained external funding.

A new draft agreement and work plan have since been developed, and a political agreement has been reached to relaunch the Malé Declaration, with renewed emphasis on resource mobilisation, institutional strengthening, and updated monitoring frameworks.

Despite these developments, regional mechanisms in South Asia remain voluntary, under-resourced, and institutionally weak, limiting their ability to respond effectively to the transboundary nature of the air pollution crisis. National initiatives—such as India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), whose implementation progress is tracked through the PRANA portal, and Bangladesh’s National Air Quality Management Plan (NAQMP 2024–2030)—have generated important domestic momentum for air quality improvement. In India, this momentum has been accompanied by substantial fiscal transfers recommended by the Fifteenth Finance Commission, which earmarked performance-linked grants for air quality management to urban local bodies, though utilisation of these funds has remained uneven and often low.

A key constraint is that these resources are routed through city-centric institutions, while major sources of air pollution frequently lie beyond municipal boundaries, underscoring how shifting implementation from a city-based to an airshed-based framework could enable more effective use of public funds.

Which other regions of the world offer examples of cross-border cooperation on air pollution, and what tangible results have those efforts delivered?

Several regions of the world demonstrate that cross-border cooperation on air pollution can deliver tangible results when supported by shared legal frameworks and coordinated action. Europe’s efforts are anchored in the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP), adopted in 1979 as the first international treaty to address cross-border air pollution. Now comprising 51 Parties, the Convention and its protocols set binding emission reduction commitments for key pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonia, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. Coordinated implementation under LRTAP has led to sharp emission reductions across the region—most notably, sulphur dioxide emissions have declined by over 80% since 1990—contributing to improved ecosystem health and substantial public health benefits.

Similar principles underpin bilateral cooperation elsewhere, including between the United States and Canada, where coordinated action to address transboundary air pollution has reduced acid deposition and improved air quality in shared border regions.