The fundamental problems we face are rapid industrialisation, increasing urbanisation, and dependence on biomass for fuel in rural areas. Urban regions make up more than 25 per cent of PM2.5 levels, a small particulate matter harmful to human health. 

About 60 per cent of rural families still use biomass — mostly wood and crop wastes — for cooking, therefore worsening air pollution and health disparities. This aggravates inequality, strains public health systems and slows down economic development, since the pollution load is disproportionately experienced by the poorest.

Experts like environmental policy researcher Jagdish Krishnan of the Centre for Environment and Development Studies (CEDS) underline the importance of methodical change, instead of fragmented policies. He says India has to adopt comprehensive plans to tackle urban, rural and industrial sources of pollution, instead of scattered, piecemeal initiatives. Furthermore, others argue that poor urban design and governance worsens the situation and complicates the attempts at controlling pollution.

International best practices clearly reveal that it is essential to reduce pollution levels through strong political commitment, strict emission restrictions and public-private collaborations. Cities like Tokyo and Los Angeles have successfully reduced vehicle emissions with rigorous regulations and large public transit systems, proving that change is possible even in busy metropolitan regions.

From Constitution To Execution

Based on constitutional values of defending people's Right to Life (Article 21) and improving the surroundings (Article 48A), India's environmental policy is at a crucial juncture. Although the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 was a major accomplishment, its influence has been compromised by its lack of enforcement power and incapacity to adapt to fast urbanisation and increasing industries. 

In recent years, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has emerged as a prominent figure in climate action, frequently criticising the state apparatus and resuming legal action. However, its tools have been limited to fines and stays. 

International agencies, including the WHO have now criticised India's environmental policy implementation for some time. The Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom, has stressed that environmental health — especially with regard to air quality — determines whether or not sustainable development goals are achieved. 

Given India's significant contribution to world health, experts agree that India's environmental policies ought to complement global benchmarks. But there are still nuanced sets of understandings given where India is in its industrial evolution, compared to similar developed economies. 

Institutional Frameworks, Gaps

Based on 2017 values, India's National Clean Air programme (NCAP) targets a decrease of PM2.5 and PM10 levels by 20-30 per cent by 2024; only 38 per cent of the targeted cities showed substantial declines in a 2023 CREA analysis, implying significant implementation gaps. Apart from limited resources, ineffective coordination among many government agencies impairs the execution of policies, therefore lowering their potential success.

Beijing's experience with air quality regulation has lessons for the world. Strong centralised government, tightly controlling emissions from major sources, including industry and transportation, results in measurable improvement in air quality. 

Similarly, London's Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has shown that rigorous automobile emission regulations, together with well-planned public transportation, might greatly reduce pollution. These illustrations highlight the need of solid institutional structures to drive real change.

Apart from controlling car emissions, governments all around help populations with well-designed public transit networks. Beyond physical infrastructure, these initiatives involve institutional alignment, strategic zoning and policy cooperation to offer workable substitutes. This combined approach enables urban mobility to follow a sustainable, balanced road.

Rural Vs Urban

Urban and rural parts of India have somewhat different air qualities. In cities, automotive emissions and industrial pollution control the scene, while schemes like Metro extensions and the FAME programme (for electric vehicles) provide appealing alternatives. If one wishes to be really successful in lowering urban pollution, these steps should be quickly scaled.

Refills remain a big challenge in rural regions, although LPG under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is increasing adoption of clean cooking fuel. This has necessitated ongoing reliance on broken down biomass. 

Moreover, in places like Punjab, stubble burning continues unabated, raising the pollution load. Global practices emphasise the need for financial support systems, farmer incentives and campaigns of behavioural change, in addition to using alternative energy sources.

In order to get there, nations like China, Kenya and South Korea have combined financial support systems, farmer incentives and behavioural nudges, all under larger policy umbrellas. While Kenya provides low-interest loans for efficient cookstoves, subsidies help rural homes in China move to clean cooking technology, including upgraded cookstoves and biogas systems. 

China and South Korea offer incentives for farmers to adopt sustainable practices, including utilising machines to gather crop wastes instead of burning them, therefore addressing stubble-burning.

Apart from local training, programmes aimed at behavioural modification in Ethiopia and Bangladesh have helped to increase the acceptance of clean cooking methods, reducing biomass burning. 

Across Africa, communities are transitioning from biomass to low-cost cookstoves and small-scale solar power systems. Kenya has, meanwhile, combined renewable energy projects with more general environmental policies that address deforestation shows, to reduce air pollution and promote rural development.

Accountability Is Key 

Dealing with air pollution demands great accountability. Simplifying environmental monitoring and enforcement needs institutional and legal changes. For example, Ramesh Pandey, the Inspector-General of Forests in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, says that fully defined pollution control board rules and open data sharing regulations help strengthen institutional responsibility.

Globally, good practices show the need of public transit in environmental management. Public health advocacy groups monitor air quality and hold institutions accountable in cities like Copenhagen; grassroots campaigns headed by groups like the Clean Air Collective are demonstrating in India the value of localised air quality monitoring and community-driven action.

Moreover, absolutely crucial for ensuring responsibility and transparency is technology. India's System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) is one example of how real-time data may help people to demand change.

Like the air quality apps used in European cities, comparable projects all around show the opportunities of technology in narrowing the barrier between citizen action and policy.

What Is At Stake

More than 150 Indian cities feature real-time air quality monitoring systems. Still, with great financial and personal expenses, air pollution is shockingly high.

The Global Burden of Disease Study emphasises the urgent need of a thorough response since air pollution caused 1.67 million deaths in India alone in 2019 alone. More importantly is the financial damage; studies estimate that air pollution costs India 3-4 per cent of her GDP yearly.

Improved air quality is not just a matter of public health but also of economic development, according to international agencies like the World Bank. Key are sustainable solutions combining economic development, environmental protection and public health. 

India has to harmonise its constitutional demands with institutional architecture and contemporary policy strategies. Global best practices give India's policy road map including Beijing's centralised government approach and London's ULEZ.

India is at a crossroads, then. The political will to solve air pollution supported by reasonable regulations, global best practices and public participation will help its people to secure a better, more sustainable future. Then, front stage should be systematic improvements, more institutional capacity, and a collaborative effort among all aspects of life to lower air pollution at its source.

Towards Cleaner Air

Emphasising technology developments, political improvements, and community-based projects, the next section will look at doable solutions to meet India's air pollution problem. It will also look at the roles public involvement in pollution control programmes, financial sources, and foreign cooperation play. 

Along with global case studies demonstrating successful interventions, solutions include changing to greener energy, boosting public transit and supporting cross-sector cooperation will be investigated. The objective is to provide India with a feasible road map for securing a sustainable future for her people and therefore improving air quality.

(This is the third part of a four-part series on air pollution. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 here)