Opinion New study shows reducing pollution has health benefits. It’s up to the government to take the right lessons

Exposure to poor air can not only cause respiratory diseases like asthma, COPD, and lung cancer, but it is also a leading risk factor in diabetes, heart ailments, and even premature deaths in children. Several studies have quantified the health-related costs of pollution in India. Last year, for example, a paper in the Lancet Planetary Health estimated that the failure to follow the WHO’s recommendations on limiting particulate matter and other toxins is responsible for about 1.5 million deaths in the country. While policymakers are now aware of the perils of inaction on pollution, what is also needed is research that highlights the public health benefits of cleaning up air. A new study by scientists at IIT-Delhi and experts at the research agency Climate Trends does that. It reveals that slashing pollution levels by up to 30 per cent can substantially reduce the burden of heart disease, diabetes, anaemia, and low birth weight among women and children. It draws on information from the National Family Health Survey 5, epidemiological studies, and pollution data to underline the co-benefits of adhering to the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

The scenario modelled by the IIT-Delhi and Climate Trends experts is an ideal one. The NCAP has, however, not always worked according to plan. Launched in 2019, the programme aims to enhance air quality in 131 cities by next year. It recognises the far-reaching impacts of particulate matter pollution on public health and aims to reduce the intensity of these particles by 40 per cent by 2026. However, as a white paper put together by scientists, civil society groups, and public health experts pointed out in August, air pollution is not confined to administrative boundaries. In other words, meeting NCAP’s targets is not contingent on the measures taken in the cities covered by the programme. The rural parts of the country are largely out of the purview of the monitoring systems. Individual cities and states are, by and large, left to their own devices, and even emergencies such as Delhi’s annual health crisis do not lead to a modicum of cooperation.

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Several cities, including the national capital, have compounded their problems by not adhering to the NCAP’s basic tenets. The programme’s funds have not been adequately utilised, pollution monitoring stations have not been installed — or placed in low population density areas, instead of congested localities, construction-heavy zones, and industrial belts — and officials do not join the dots between environment and public health. The IIT-Delhi Climate Trends study shows the NCAP’s potential to make a meaningful difference. It’s now up to the government to take the right lessons from the study and tweak the programme.