Air pollution is also looming over the North East
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Shahruk Ahmed Mazumdar
When it comes to air pollution, most Indians think of North India, especially Delhi. It is a fact, though. However, recent reports indicate that states in northeastern India are also facing air pollution issues. But compared to Delhi or North India, the air pollution condition in the northeastern states is particularly less worrisome. Nonetheless, the government must pay attention to the issue and take appropriate steps to keep it from getting worse, as it presently exists in Delhi. Each person is impacted by air pollution, but children and the elderly are the most vulnerable. Many people, including parents and environmental activists, staged a protest at the India Gate in November 2025 due to Delhi’s deteriorating air quality.
The northeastern states, such as Assam and Tripura, are emerging as major pollution hotspots, questioning long-held beliefs that the Northeast has better air quality than other regions. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), states such as Assam and Tripura recorded high PM2.5 levels throughout the year, including the monsoon season, when much of India typically receives cleaner air. According to the results, eleven districts in Assam are among the fifty most polluted in India, comparable to Delhi’s share and putting the state among the worst-affected regions. In terms of the environment, black carbon from Guwahati disrupts local climatic patterns by absorbing sunlight and trapping heat, which leads to glacier melting in the Himalayas.
Due to pollution from nearby industries, distilleries, and iron and steel facilities, thirteen of the top twenty most polluted cities in the world in 2024 were located in India, including industrial sites like Byrnihat and Delhi, the most polluted capital. In order to lower dangerous PM2.5 levels in Byrnihat, a 2022 Meghalaya Pollution Control Board report suggested stopping construction and restricting truck movement. However, after six ferroalloy and related factories were ordered to close on January 29, 2025, for violating environmental regulations, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) discovered that the ambient air quality in Byrnihat had barely changed.
One major pollutant that increases the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and asthma is PM2.5, which is roughly thirty times smaller than a human hair and enters the bloodstream and lungs deeply. According to WHO estimates, an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide are attributed to ambient air pollution each year.
The burning of fossil fuels and biomass fuels in vehicles, power plants, factories, and industrial facilities, as well as the burning of coal, wood, and charcoal in domestic stoves and agricultural waste, are the main sources of air pollution. Particularly in urban areas, these activities discharge harmful particles into the atmosphere. Sandstorms, wildfires, and wind-blown dust exacerbate the situation by dispersing pollutants across large areas.
However, a diverse approach is required to effectively address air pollution and prevent a public health emergency. The long-term approaches to lower vehicular emissions encompass accelerating the transition to clean energy, strengthening public transport systems, and improving last-mile connectivity with zero-emission options and demand management tools like congestion taxes. These steps can help reduce the sources of pollution during spikes. Another significant source of pollution, open burning, can be decreased with proper waste collection and segregation. More robust emissions regulations, continuous oversight, and stringent enforcement are required for industrial sources in and around cities, particularly for highly polluting industries.
India’s indigenous population is another susceptible group. The most significant mining and industrial operations continue to take place in the vicinity of ostensibly legally protected tribal areas, such as those in northeast India. The deforestation and rising pollution levels brought about by this excessive industrial activity for revenue-generating purposes are aggravating the declining living conditions of the local indigenous communities. The region’s air pollution and health risks are exacerbated by the dust from the mining trucks. For indigenous populations, the effects of air pollution extend beyond their health.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), along with the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) and pollution control committees, is principally responsible for monitoring India’s air quality through the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP).
The Air Quality Index (AQI) tool was introduced in India in 2015 to provide the public with simply comprehensible information on air quality levels. Raising awareness and promoting a team effort to tackle this environmental issue requires educating the public about the causes and effects of air pollution as well as pushing for legislative changes and sustainable solutions. The issue of air pollution is too big for any one government or industry to handle on its own. All parties must work together to use creative solutions.
In order to effectively address air pollution in accordance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the Indian government introduced the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) in 2019. Its target, however, is far more lenient than the WHO’s recommended limit. It is crucial to note that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends against exceeding 15 µg/m³ and 5 µg/m³, respectively, for yearly mean concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5.
The University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute’s Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) indicates that approximately 46% of Indians reside in areas where air pollution considerably shortens life expectancy.
Beijing was dubbed the “smog capital” of the world twenty years ago. Nonetheless, it has made a significant effort to enhance its air quality while simultaneously attaining remarkable economic growth through strict regulations and efficient air pollution management policies. By 2017, highly polluted areas had significantly improved by 35% due to Beijing’s efforts, which also included the creation of an early warning and emergency response system, improved regulation of pollution activities, the relocation of factories from populated areas, and incentives for farmers to discourage agricultural burning.
In India, air pollution has become a serious public health issue. Notwithstanding the challenges, progress can be achieved with a proper blend of political will, effective implementation, and a robust compliance mechanism.
The writer can be reached at [email protected]
When it comes to air pollution, most Indians think of North India, especially Delhi. It is a fact, though. However, recent reports indicate that states in northeastern India are also facing air pollution issues. But compared to Delhi or North India, the air pollution condition in the northeastern states is particularly less worrisome. Nonetheless, the government must pay attention to the issue and take appropriate steps to keep it from getting worse, as it presently exists in Delhi. Each person is impacted by air pollution, but children and the elderly are the most vulnerable. Many people, including parents and environmental activists, staged a protest at the India Gate in November 2025 due to Delhi’s deteriorating air quality.
The northeastern states, such as Assam and Tripura, are emerging as major pollution hotspots, questioning long-held beliefs that the Northeast has better air quality than other regions. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), states such as Assam and Tripura recorded high PM2.5 levels throughout the year, including the monsoon season, when much of India typically receives cleaner air. According to the results, eleven districts in Assam are among the fifty most polluted in India, comparable to Delhi’s share and putting the state among the worst-affected regions. In terms of the environment, black carbon from Guwahati disrupts local climatic patterns by absorbing sunlight and trapping heat, which leads to glacier melting in the Himalayas.
Due to pollution from nearby industries, distilleries, and iron and steel facilities, thirteen of the top twenty most polluted cities in the world in 2024 were located in India, including industrial sites like Byrnihat and Delhi, the most polluted capital. In order to lower dangerous PM2.5 levels in Byrnihat, a 2022 Meghalaya Pollution Control Board report suggested stopping construction and restricting truck movement. However, after six ferroalloy and related factories were ordered to close on January 29, 2025, for violating environmental regulations, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) discovered that the ambient air quality in Byrnihat had barely changed.
One major pollutant that increases the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and asthma is PM2.5, which is roughly thirty times smaller than a human hair and enters the bloodstream and lungs deeply. According to WHO estimates, an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide are attributed to ambient air pollution each year.
The burning of fossil fuels and biomass fuels in vehicles, power plants, factories, and industrial facilities, as well as the burning of coal, wood, and charcoal in domestic stoves and agricultural waste, are the main sources of air pollution. Particularly in urban areas, these activities discharge harmful particles into the atmosphere. Sandstorms, wildfires, and wind-blown dust exacerbate the situation by dispersing pollutants across large areas.
However, a diverse approach is required to effectively address air pollution and prevent a public health emergency. The long-term approaches to lower vehicular emissions encompass accelerating the transition to clean energy, strengthening public transport systems, and improving last-mile connectivity with zero-emission options and demand management tools like congestion taxes. These steps can help reduce the sources of pollution during spikes. Another significant source of pollution, open burning, can be decreased with proper waste collection and segregation. More robust emissions regulations, continuous oversight, and stringent enforcement are required for industrial sources in and around cities, particularly for highly polluting industries.
India’s indigenous population is another susceptible group. The most significant mining and industrial operations continue to take place in the vicinity of ostensibly legally protected tribal areas, such as those in northeast India. The deforestation and rising pollution levels brought about by this excessive industrial activity for revenue-generating purposes are aggravating the declining living conditions of the local indigenous communities. The region’s air pollution and health risks are exacerbated by the dust from the mining trucks. For indigenous populations, the effects of air pollution extend beyond their health.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), along with the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) and pollution control committees, is principally responsible for monitoring India’s air quality through the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP).
The Air Quality Index (AQI) tool was introduced in India in 2015 to provide the public with simply comprehensible information on air quality levels. Raising awareness and promoting a team effort to tackle this environmental issue requires educating the public about the causes and effects of air pollution as well as pushing for legislative changes and sustainable solutions. The issue of air pollution is too big for any one government or industry to handle on its own. All parties must work together to use creative solutions.
In order to effectively address air pollution in accordance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the Indian government introduced the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) in 2019. Its target, however, is far more lenient than the WHO’s recommended limit. It is crucial to note that the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends against exceeding 15 µg/m³ and 5 µg/m³, respectively, for yearly mean concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5.
The University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute’s Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) indicates that approximately 46% of Indians reside in areas where air pollution considerably shortens life expectancy.
Beijing was dubbed the “smog capital” of the world twenty years ago. Nonetheless, it has made a significant effort to enhance its air quality while simultaneously attaining remarkable economic growth through strict regulations and efficient air pollution management policies. By 2017, highly polluted areas had significantly improved by 35% due to Beijing’s efforts, which also included the creation of an early warning and emergency response system, improved regulation of pollution activities, the relocation of factories from populated areas, and incentives for farmers to discourage agricultural burning.
In India, air pollution has become a serious public health issue. Notwithstanding the challenges, progress can be achieved with a proper blend of political will, effective implementation, and a robust compliance mechanism.
The writer can be reached at [email protected]