India's air pollution: a new government and global plan

Abstract

In 2015, India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported that if no action is taken the ambient concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2·5) from transport sources in the country is expected to double by 2030. According to WHO's 2014 database for ambient (outdoor) air pollution, India's capital Delhi was the most polluted city of more than 1600 cities in the world. Delhi had a yearly mean PM2·5 concentration of 153 μg/m3—much higher than WHO's air quality guideline of 10 μg/m3. Emissions from vehicles are the main cause of the pollution in the capital.Early this month, the Indian Government, in its first attempt to address air pollution in the capital, will publish a federal plan to target non-vehicular emissions, including the burning of construction dust, refuse, and tyres in Delhi and surrounding states. Additionally, the transport ministry is planning to tackle vehicular emissions by banning commercial vehicles that are more than 15 years old from India's roads.Beijing, like Delhi, is overpopulated and has chronic air pollution (yearly mean PM2·5 56 μg/m3). During the Olympic Games in 2008 and on other important occasions, and on days with an orange alert (the second highest level) for air pollution, Beijing has applied an odd–even rule for licence plates to order cars off the road. For the first 15 days of January, Delhi will try a similar regulation to reduce the number of private cars on the road.Worldwide, in 2012, 3·7 million deaths were attributable to ambient air pollution and 4·3 million to household air pollution. A draft road map to mitigate the global adverse health effects of air pollution was drawn up in November, 2015, and will be discussed at WHO's Executive Board meeting at the end of January, 2016. The revised and elaborated road map will be presented at the World Health Assembly in May. It has four categories: expansion of the knowledge base; monitoring and reporting of health trends associated with air pollution and its sources; global leadership and coordination; and building capacity in the health sector to analyse and influence policy and decision-making processes for joint action on air pollution and health. Hopefully, starting this year, this road map will help to clear the air. In 2015, India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported that if no action is taken the ambient concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2·5) from transport sources in the country is expected to double by 2030. According to WHO's 2014 database for ambient (outdoor) air pollution, India's capital Delhi was the most polluted city of more than 1600 cities in the world. Delhi had a yearly mean PM2·5 concentration of 153 μg/m3—much higher than WHO's air quality guideline of 10 μg/m3. Emissions from vehicles are the main cause of the pollution in the capital. Early this month, the Indian Government, in its first attempt to address air pollution in the capital, will publish a federal plan to target non-vehicular emissions, including the burning of construction dust, refuse, and tyres in Delhi and surrounding states. Additionally, the transport ministry is planning to tackle vehicular emissions by banning commercial vehicles that are more than 15 years old from India's roads. Beijing, like Delhi, is overpopulated and has chronic air pollution (yearly mean PM2·5 56 μg/m3). During the Olympic Games in 2008 and on other important occasions, and on days with an orange alert (the second highest level) for air pollution, Beijing has applied an odd–even rule for licence plates to order cars off the road. For the first 15 days of January, Delhi will try a similar regulation to reduce the number of private cars on the road. Worldwide, in 2012, 3·7 million deaths were attributable to ambient air pollution and 4·3 million to household air pollution. A draft road map to mitigate the global adverse health effects of air pollution was drawn up in November, 2015, and will be discussed at WHO's Executive Board meeting at the end of January, 2016. The revised and elaborated road map will be presented at the World Health Assembly in May. It has four categories: expansion of the knowledge base; monitoring and reporting of health trends associated with air pollution and its sources; global leadership and coordination; and building capacity in the health sector to analyse and influence policy and decision-making processes for joint action on air pollution and health. Hopefully, starting this year, this road map will help to clear the air.