India Air Pollution Public Health Crisis
Recent Developments
012025: Delhi continued to experience hazardous winter air quality, with reports describing AQI levels far above WHO safety thresholds and spikes linked to vehicles, industry, low winds, and crop-residue burning in neighboring states.
022024: Clean Air Fund reported that 17 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India and that India’s capital has the poorest air quality among global capitals.
032024: State of Global Air 2024, cited by Clean Air Fund, estimated that air pollution causes more than 2 million deaths annually in India.
Interventions
- World Bank-supported clean air efforts in India target cleaner cooking, cleaner agriculture, and multi-sector air-quality action across households, transport, industry, agriculture, and power.
- Clean Air Fund supports work in India focused on reducing PM2.5 exposure and advancing cleaner cooking, cleaner transport, and cleaner energy solutions.
What Works
- Transitioning households away from biomass and solid fuels to clean cooking can reduce exposure to household air pollution, and the World Bank notes support for shifting 3.9 million households to cleaner cooking solutions.
- Reducing emissions from multiple sources at once works best because much of India’s PM2.5 is formed across sectors, including transport, industry, households, agriculture, and power, according to the World Bank.
How to Help
- Donate to organizations working on clean air and public health in India, such as the Clean Air Fund and similar evidence-based groups.
- Support local and international NGOs that promote cleaner cooking, cleaner transport, and crop-residue alternatives.
- Advocate for stronger air-quality standards, enforcement, and cross-state pollution control measures through elected representatives.
Make an Impact
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Raise Awareness
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Verified Organizations
Organizations Helping(5)
Clean Air Asia has worked in India since 2008 by supporting city governments with scientific input for Clean Air Action Plans, air-quality monitoring, capacity building, and direct mitigation interventions. It also runs the Clean Air Knowledge Network for expert-government exchange, the VAYU app for public air-quality tracking and pledges, and youth and school-focused education programs.
In India, Clean Air Fund works with government, businesses, and research organisations to support clean air goals. Its approach includes improving air-quality data and evidence for policymaking, providing technical assistance to state and city governments, and facilitating dialogue among stakeholders such as private-sector leaders and healthcare practitioners.
TERI supports air-pollution reduction through scientific assessments, city action plans, and capacity-building initiatives tied to India’s National Clean Air Programme. It works with governments, industries, and institutions to produce science-based solutions, contribute to policy and standards development, and improve air-quality management.
Greenpeace India is actively engaged in environmental campaigning in India, including air-pollution-related advocacy. Its public-facing work focuses on raising awareness, pressuring decision-makers, and campaigning for stronger environmental protections that address pollution and its health impacts.
