Air pollution in India labeled public health emergency by UN expert

The worsening air quality in India poses a serious threat to public health and the human right to a clean environment, a United Nations expert has warned. Astrid Puentes Riaño, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, presented a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, urging stronger standards and enforcement to protect millions from the harms of polluted air.

Riaño acknowledged India’s initiatives, including the National Air Quality Index and the National Clean Air Programme, but stressed that regulation must be strengthened, aligned with the latest scientific evidence, and rigorously enforced. She highlighted that growing fossil fuel use, industrial emissions, urban traffic, and seasonal practices such as crop residue burning continue to drive dangerously high levels of particulate matter, particularly PM2.5.

The UN report warned that inaction disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, including children , the elderly, pregnant women, and the poor. Chronic exposure to particulate pollution in Indian cities has been linked to millions of deaths and reduced life expectancy, with residents of Delhi potentially losing more than eight years of life under current conditions.

Riaño called for better integration of air quality, climate , and human rights policies, targeted interventions in pollution hotspots, and coordinated action by governments, cities, and businesses. Civil society groups, including Warrior Moms and Our Kids’ Climate, contributed inputs, highlighting the lived experience of communities directly affected by pollution.

Experts insist legally enforceable standards, aligned with WHO recommendations, are essential to prevent avoidable disease and deaths. The UN report underscores that India’s air pollution is not merely an environmental concern but a public health emergency demanding immediate and sustained action.