NEW DELHI, India: Recent remarks by senior Indian officials on pollution have reignited public anger, reinforcing perceptions that policymakers continue to underplay the depth of India’s air quality crisis. When Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told Parliament earlier this month that New Delhi had recorded nearly 200 days of “good” air quality, pollution experts and opposition leaders accused the government of selectively using data that excludes the capital’s most toxic winter months.
Days later, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta further inflamed public sentiment by likening the Air Quality Index (AQI) to a temperature reading, suggesting it could be managed by spraying water. At a subsequent public event, crowds jeered her remarks, repeatedly chanting “AQI” in protest of the city’s persistent smog. Gupta has also endorsed a controversial cloud-seeding initiative, claiming it could induce rainfall to reduce pollution despite limited scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness.
For residents of New Delhi and surrounding regions, blanketed in hazardous smog for months each year, such statements signal continued denial rather than decisive action.
“Instead of experimenting with cloud seeding, I hope the government wakes up and takes real action,” said Anita, a 73-year-old New Delhi resident. “It’s a shame.”
Environmentalists and data analysts argue that India’s air quality standards themselves contribute to the problem. National benchmarks are significantly less stringent than World Health Organization guidelines, meaning pollution levels classified as “moderate” domestically would be considered dangerous in many other countries. This discrepancy, experts say, masks health risks and erodes public trust.
Gaps in Measurement, Gaps in Trust
India relies on a nationwide network of ground-based monitors, sensors, and satellite data to assess air quality. While these monitors generate reliable readings, their limited coverage fails to capture neighborhood-level pollution, according to Ronak Sutaria, CEO of Respirer Living, an air quality monitoring firm.
“Citizens still don’t know how polluted the air outside their homes really is,” Sutaria said.
In 2019, the government launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), setting targets to reduce pollution by up to 40% across 131 cities by 2026. The initiative has improved monitoring infrastructure and funded dust-control measures such as water-spraying machines for roads and construction sites.
However, experts contend that the program has largely sidestepped the biggest pollution sources—vehicle emissions, coal-based industries, and power plants. Crop stubble burning, household use of wood and cow dung, and garbage burning continue to compound the crisis.
A 2024 report by the Centre for Science and Environment found that 64% of NCAP funds were spent on dust mitigation, while only 12% targeted vehicle pollution and less than 1% addressed industrial emissions.
“We are investing heavily in monitoring,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Centre. “But expanding data collection must go hand in hand with improving data quality and policy focus.”
A Silent Public Health Emergency
The health consequences are stark. A Lancet study last year estimated that long-term exposure to polluted air contributes to 1.5 million additional deaths annually in India compared to a scenario aligned with WHO air quality standards.
Yet earlier this month, junior Health Minister Prataprao Jadhav stated in Parliament that no conclusive national data links air pollution directly to deaths or disease.
Public health advocates dispute this claim. Shweta Narayan of the Global Climate and Health Alliance said pollution-related deaths are systematically undercounted because India lacks formal mechanisms to record them.
“Air pollution is still not treated as a public health emergency,” she said. “Everyone is affected, but pregnant women, children, and the elderly suffer the most.”
Political Will Under Scrutiny
Public frustration has increasingly spilled onto the streets. Earlier this month, residents staged rare protests in New Delhi, demanding urgent action on air quality.
Environmental activist Vimlendu Jha believes the issue may soon influence electoral politics. “Citizens are fed up,” he said. “There’s more image management than pollution management.”
According to Jha, political leaders have normalized extreme pollution levels rather than confronting them. “The first step is honesty,” he said. “Without the right diagnosis, there can be no cure.”
For those living with the consequences, the crisis is already deeply personal. Satish Sharma, a 60-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, said worsening air quality has forced him to cut back on work as his health deteriorates.
“People can’t breathe or work properly,” he said. “If nothing is done, people will leave this city.”
As India aspires to global leadership on climate and development, the persistence of toxic air—and the reluctance to fully acknowledge it raises urgent questions about governance, accountability, and the true cost of denial.
-WNN Newsroom
