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Winter air pollution is not just an environmental crisis but an environmental injustice, where the poor and marginalized suffer the highest health costs while cleaner air remains a privilege for those with resources to buy air purifiers.
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Read all about: AIR POLLUTION LINKED TO 9 MILLION DEATHS ANNUALLY AIR POLLUTION || SOLAR ENERGY || CLIMATE CHANGE |
Pollution in India: A Social Justice and Human Rights Issue
In India, pollution is a deep issue of social justice and inequality, with its impacts concentrated among the most vulnerable sections of society.
Recent reports from the Lancet Countdown 2025 indicate that India accounts for approximately 1.72 million of the 2.5 million global deaths annually attributed to anthropogenic air pollution.
India is the world's third-largest emitter of fossil, contributing approximately 7% to 8% of global energy-sector emissions while being home to 18% of the world's population.
India ranks as the world's 5th most polluted country in 2024–2025, with average (PM 2.5) concentrations approximately 10 to 11 times higher than World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. (Source: World Air Quality Report)
Pollution distribution in India reflects socio-economic gaps; vulnerable groups, due to living conditions and jobs, suffer higher exposure but have minimal policy influence.
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Vulnerable Group |
Nature of Exposure |
Key Health Impacts |
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Urban Poor |
Living in slums near landfills, industrial clusters, and high-traffic corridors with no green buffers. |
Higher incidence of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular problems, and vector-borne diseases. |
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Women (especially in rural areas) |
High exposure to Household Air Pollution (HAP) from burning solid biomass (firewood, dung cakes) for cooking. |
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), lung cancer, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and cataracts. Over 600,000 deaths in India are attributed to HAP annually (Source: Global Burden of Disease Study). |
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Children |
Undeveloped lungs and immune systems make them more susceptible. Higher exposure in schools located near pollution hotspots. |
Stunted lung development, asthma, impaired cognitive function, and increased risk of infant mortality. |
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Informal Sector Workers |
Prolonged occupational exposure to toxic air. Includes street vendors, construction workers, delivery personnel, and waste-pickers. |
Severe respiratory ailments, skin diseases, and reduced life expectancy. They often lack any form of social security or health protection. |
Urban Planning and Air Pollution
Urban development often pushes the poor into "sacrifice zones." Air quality policies focus on city-wide averages, ignoring the severe hyper-local pollution where the poor live and work.
Inadequate, affordable public transport compels many to walk or cycle on congested, polluted roads, increasing their exposure risks.
Household Air Pollution: A Gendered Crisis
Despite the success of programs like the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in providing over 10 crore LPG connections, a major challenge remains the high cost of cylinder refills. This expense forces low-income households, particularly women, to revert to using harmful solid fuels.
This "energy poverty" intersects with deep-seated gender norms, making indoor pollution a silent health crisis for millions of women.
Governance Failures and Policy Gaps
The institutional framework for pollution control often fails to address the issue of equity.
Pollution Control Boards are understaffed and underfunded, leading to weak enforcement against industrial violators.
Public participation in environmental impact assessments and policy-making remains limited, especially for marginalized communities.
Critique of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
The NCAP aims for a 40% reduction in Particulate Matter (PM) concentration by 2026 in 131 cities. However, it faces criticism for being "socially blind."
Climate Change Multiplier Effect
Climate change and pollution create a vicious cycle that disproportionately harms the poor:
Communities with the least capacity to adapt to climate change are the ones most affected by this deadly combination.
India's environmental policies must integrate social justice, focusing on protecting people's health and rights, not just managing pollution.
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Area of Reform |
Actionable Recommendations |
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Policy Reforms |
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Governance Reforms |
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India's pollution crisis is rooted in deep inequalities and requires aligning environmental goals with social justice and inclusion to ensure fundamental rights for all citizens.
Source: INDIAN EXPRESS
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Examine the ethical dimensions of a situation where wealth decides access to clean air and safe water. How should public policy respond to such “toxic inequality”? |
Environmental justice is the principle that all individuals, regardless of their socio-economic status, caste, or community, have a right to a healthy and safe environment. It means that the burdens of pollution and environmental degradation should not fall disproportionately on marginalized groups. The Supreme Court of India has linked this to the fundamental Right to Life under Article 21.
The NGT is a specialized judicial body established in 2010 for the effective and speedy disposal of environmental cases. It operates on the 'Polluter Pays' principle and has been instrumental in environmental governance. However, its effectiveness is often limited by challenges in enforcing its orders, which depend on state agencies for implementation, and potential political pressures.
Vulnerable groups suffer disproportionately due to:
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