Household air pollution from biomass fuels is the lowest-hanging fruit for India's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), and it is already included as a sectoral priority, said Kalpana Balakrishnan, Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health.
At the World Health Organisation's second conference on air pollution and health in Cartagena, Colombia, household air pollution has taken centre stage. Balakrishnan, one of the keynote speakers at the event, said that India is admirably placed in terms of infrastructure to address this issue.
“For a modest additional investment, we can achieve significant reductions in ambient PM2.5 levels, in addition to reducing residential PM2.5 exposures that the rural population experiences,” she said.
Speaking to PTI, Balakrishnan further emphasised that India possesses all the necessary elements to tackle household air pollution and could do so in ways that are cost-effective and inclusive of all possible stakeholders.
“We can demonstrate to the world that we can achieve what any other country can -- and do it even better,” she said.
In January 2024, an independent think tank in India reported that 41 per cent of the Indian population still relies on wood, cow dung, or other biomass as cooking fuel. This practice cumulatively emits around 340 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the environment annually, accounting for approximately 13 per cent of India's greenhouse gas emissions.
Balakrishnan also highlighted that the burden of household pollution is twofold: exposure occurs indoors when cooking with solid fuels, and emissions are also released into the outdoor environment.
She stressed that the transition to clean cooking energy is crucial to protect poor and marginalised communities who cannot afford the shift.
“Solid cooking fuels are the primary contributors to ambient PM2.5. While we have technological solutions like LPG and electricity, we still need to find creative economic solutions to support the poor and marginalised sections of society,” she told PTI.
People must recognise that air pollution causes nearly seven million deaths annually and is a major risk factor for both mortality and morbidity worldwide, said Maria Neira, Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO). She attributed these deaths to both outdoor and household air pollution.
Speaking at a session at the Cartagena conference, Neira reiterated that over two billion people are exposed to household air pollution due to a lack of access to clean cooking energy.
“Air pollution, mainly arising from inefficient energy use, is a major environmental health risk. By reducing air pollution levels, countries can lower the incidence of health issues such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, and asthma. A large number of people -- including doctors, scientists, and journalists -- still do not realise that air pollution causes almost seven million deaths every year,” the WHO Director said.
Referring to China's success in transitioning to clean energy to combat household air pollution, Balakrishnan pointed out that both India and China faced similar challenges around 20 years ago due to solid cooking fuels contributing to ambient PM2.5 levels.
“For China, it was coal, and for India, it is biomass fuel. China aggressively phased out solid cooking fuels. It was a significant challenge for China, as coal was used not only for cooking but also for heating, leading to enormous PM2.5 contributions, particularly in winter,” Balakrishnan told PTI.
She added that China identified the “lowest-hanging fruit and tackled it.”
“The phasing out of residential coal was a key component of China's Blue Sky Programme -- alongside interventions in power and transport,” she said.
Meanwhile, a report presented to the Rajya Sabha by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests, and Climate Change revealed that a substantial Rs 858 crore allocated for pollution control in 2024-25 remains unutilised.
This budget represents 27.44 per cent of the ministry's revised annual allocation.
Reacting to the report, Balakrishnan told PTI that continued investment in additional monitoring is essential for assessing the effectiveness of the NCAP's actions.
“Once the administrative roadblocks are resolved, this should be prioritised in budgetary spending,” she said.
The WHO is currently holding its second conference on air pollution and health after a five-year gap. The first conference took place in 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland.
