A recent study published in The Lancet Planetary Health delivers a grim warning—India’s deadly relationship with air pollution, specifically PM2.5, is costing millions of lives. Over 11 years (2009–2019), the research analysed district-level data across the country and found that every 10 µg/m³ increase in PM2.5 exposure corresponds to an 8.6% rise in all-cause mortality. These findings are no longer abstract academic numbers—they point to real people, real suffering, and a deep failure in our public health and environmental policy systems.

PM2.5 and the Indian Reality of Air Pollution

PM2.5—fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter—is especially dangerous because it can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. Its sources in Indian cities are numerous:

• Vehicular emissions from diesel and petrol vehicles
• Construction dust, often uncontrolled and unregulated
• Biomass burning, particularly in peri-urban and rural areas
• Industrial emissions, from brick kilns, factories, and coal plants
• Seasonal stubble burning in North India, especially Punjab and Haryana

According to the study, every person in India lives in an area exceeding the WHO’s annual PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m³. That’s 1.4 billion people breathing toxic air every day.

Delhi, Kanpur, Varanasi: Living on the Edge

Delhi is often branded the world’s most polluted capital. But it’s not alone. Cities like Kanpur, Agra, Lucknow, Varanasi, and Patna routinely record PM2.5 levels above 90 µg/m³—over 18 times the WHO limit.

Co-author Joel Schwartz, PhD, faculty member in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, quoted in Harvard stated that  “Delhi may get the headlines, but this is a problem all over India, and nationwide efforts are needed. Coal-burning electric plants need scrubbers, crop burning needs to be limited, and most importantly, the government needs to recognise this as a major issue.”

The consequences are visible. In winter, Delhiites wake up to air so thick it looks like fog, but it’s smog. Schools close. Flights are delayed. Emergency rooms report surges in asthma and cardiac patients.

But beyond the headlines, it’s the slow, chronic damage that’s more insidious: stunted lung development in children, increased risk of strokes, and shortened life expectancy.

According to a 2022 report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), air pollution may shorten life expectancy in North India by up to 10 years.

Startling Mortality Numbers Due to Air Pollution In India

The Lancet study reveals that:

• Based on India’s current national air quality standards (40 µg/m³), 3.8 million deaths between 2009–2019 were attributable to PM2.5 exposure.
• But if India were to adopt the WHO’s air quality guideline of 5 µg/m³, the toll would jump to 16.6 million lives lost—almost one in four deaths over that decade.

This is not just an environmental problem. It is a mass public health emergency.

The Policy Gap to Address Air Pollution in India

Despite years of discussions, policies like the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)—launched in 2019—set modest targets, aiming to reduce PM2.5 levels by 20–30% by 2024 in 122 non-attainment cities. While some cities like Ahmedabad and Pune have taken proactive steps, such as implementing air quality action plans and deploying real-time sensors, implementation remains weak and fragmented.

Most cities still lack:

• Real-time, hyperlocal monitoring systems
• Effective enforcement of construction and traffic violations
• Public outreach that goes beyond jargon and connects with daily life

What Needs to Change to Tackle Air Pollution in India

1. Stricter Standards

India must seriously consider aligning its air quality standards with WHO guidelines. Current national limits are not health-based—they’re politically convenient.

2. Real-Time Accountability

Air quality monitors should be accessible to the public in real time, and cities must be penalised for failing to act on high-pollution alerts.

3. Clean Mobility Push

Transitioning rapidly to electric public transport, enforcing tighter vehicle emission norms, and reducing dependency on private cars can make a huge impact.

4. Empowered Local Governance

Municipalities should have the budget, authority, and capacity to enforce clean air measures independently. A national program without local empowerment is bound to fall short.

5. Public Engagement

Pollution needs to be made personal. Just like Swachh Bharat brought toilets into dinner-table conversations, clean air must be tied to daily life, schoolchildren, lung health, traffic congestion, and medical bills.

A Wake-Up Call for India

India’s cities are often described as engines of growth. But if those engines are running on poison, the future looks bleak. The Lancet study is not just another academic paper—it’s a mirror. And in it, we see cities gasping, people dying, and policy failing.

We owe it to the next generation to act. Because every breath matters.