Unreliable data mask just how bad the air quality crisis is in India

NEW DELHI — Recent remarks by two Indian officials about pollution have fueled frustration among residents who say politicians are unwilling to acknowledge severity of air quality crisis in India.

When Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told Parliament earlier this month that India's capital New Delhi had 200 days of good air quality, pollution experts and opposition leaders said he had chosen a figure that did not take into account the months with the worst pollution.

A week later, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the AQI, a measure of air pollution, was similar to temperature and could be controlled by spraying water. At a subsequent public event, the crowd jeered her, shouting “AQI” in reference to the city's poor air quality.

Gupta also gave the green light controversial cloud seeding program earlier this year, saying it could create rain that would reduce pollution, despite a lack of evidence that the approach would work.

Residents of New Delhi and surrounding areas shrouded in toxic smog over the past few months said these are just the latest examples of officials denying severity of air quality problems.

“Instead of cloud seeding, I hope the government wakes up and takes some real action,” said Anita, a 73-year-old New Delhi resident who goes by only one name. “It's a shame.”

Environmentalists and data experts say India's air quality measurement standards are stricter than countries like the United States, so moderate readings often mask dangerous levels of pollution. India's government air quality standards are also less stringent than World Health Organization recommendations.

Experts say these gaps could undermine public trust, even though few residents fully understand how harmful air pollution is.

Air quality in India is measured using a nationwide network of monitors and sensors, as well as satellite data.

The monitors collect reliable data, but there is too little of it, says Ronak Sutaria, CEO of Respirer Living, which makes machines and software for monitoring air quality. He said the system does not allow citizens to know how polluted the air in their areas really is.

India launched the National Clean Air Program in 2019, which sets targets to reduce pollution by up to 40% in 131 cities by 2026.

The program has been a relative success, spending millions of dollars on monitors and water-spraying machines to reduce dust generated by vehicles traveling on roads, construction work and winds that blow desert sand into cities.

But air pollution experts said the program has done little to reduce pollution from carbon-emitting industries or vehicle emissions, which are among the biggest sources of dirty air. Other sources include stubble burning on farms, use of wood and cow dung as cooking fuel and garbage burning.

A report by the Center for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based think tank, published in 2024, found that 64% of the program's funds went to reducing dust levels, only 12% to reducing vehicle pollution and less than 1% to reducing industrial air pollution.

“We are making huge investments in monitoring air quality. And so as we expand, it becomes imperative to focus on quality,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the think tank.

A study last year by the medical journal Lancet linked long-term exposure to air pollution to 1.5 million extra deaths each year in India compared to a scenario in which the country met WHO standards.

However, earlier this month, Prataprao Jadhav, India's junior health minister, said the country does not have conclusive data to directly correlate deaths or illnesses solely with air pollution.

Shweta Narayan, campaign director for the Global Alliance on Climate and Health, said air pollution was still not being taken seriously as a public health issue.

“Deaths related to air pollution are not counted. And the reason they are not counted is because there are no systematic mechanisms for this,” Narayan said.

Narayan said pollution causes long-term health problems for anyone exposed, but it is especially harmful to pregnant women, the elderly and children.

“As a result of exposure to air pollution, we see a lot of premature births, miscarriages, low birth weights. Exposure at this stage has lifelong consequences,” she said.

Earlier this month, New Delhi residents took to the streets to protest against dirty air and demand immediate government action in the relatively rare event of public demonstrations.

“We don't know whether… citizens will be able to link air pollution to elections, but maybe that's where India is heading,” environmentalist Vimlendu Jha said in an interview. “Citizens are tired.”

Jha said the authorities are being dishonest about the issue and that they do not have the political will to resolve the issue.

“Here there is more emphasis on managing headlines and image than managing pollution,” he said, adding that political leaders see high levels of pollution as the norm.

“The first thing the government should do is be honest about our problem,” he said. “A correct diagnosis is extremely important.”

Regardless of whether politicians act, the consequences of dirty air for residents of India's capital are clear.

“Everyone is feeling the pollution. People can't work or even breathe,” said Satish Sharma, a 60-year-old autorickshaw driver.

Sharma said he has reduced his working hours as his health has deteriorated over the past few weeks due to pollution.

“I want to tell the government to do something about this pollution,” he said. “Otherwise people will leave here.”

___

Follow Shibi Arasu on X on @sibi123.

___

Arasu reported from Bangalore, India. AP journalists Piyush Nagpal in New Delhi and Aniruddha Ghosal in Hanoi, Vietnam, contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press' climate and environment coverage receives financial support from several private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find hotspots standards for working with charities, list of supporters and funded coverage areas on the website AP.org.