Tackling Air Pollution at the Sub-National Level: The Case of Rajasthan
Air pollution in India has deteriorated significantly over the past two decades and today, it is the second largest risk factor contributing to the country’s disease burden. It is a matter of urgent concern, as ambient air pollution poses grave, multifaceted risks to India’s prospects for achieving its development goals.[1] It leads to a rapid increase in public health expenditure, diminished labour productivity, and reduced agricultural yield.[2] Estimates peg the economic cost of air pollution to the Indian economy at more than US$ 150 billion a year.[3] According to IQAS 2019 World Air Quality Report, India is home to 21 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world.[4] The Lancet Planetary Health report[5] has found that over 50 percent of deaths attributed to air pollution in India occur in just five Indian States.[6] This suggests that customised, sub-national strategies are equally important as national-level policies. This report uses the case of Rajasthan to illustrate. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, Rajasthan is amongst the six Indian states having the highest per capita economic loss due to air pollution.[7] In the last two years, the state recorded the highest death rate per 100,000 population due to air pollution. The deteriorating air quality in the state is not only putting tremendous pressure on its fragile healthcare system but also impairs the productivity of the population. In this context, the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), in collaboration with INDICC Associates organised a digital high-level state roundtable, ‘Securing Right to Breathe: Battle for Clean Air’ on 19 February 2021. The roundtable brought together policymakers, industry experts, and academicians to identify sub-national strategies and develop a roadmap for implementing policy interventions, financial incentives, and technology solutions for combating air pollution in Rajasthan. Macroeconomic and Health Impacts of Air Pollution in Rajasthan[8] • Air pollution is the second-largest risk factor for premature deaths in Rajasthan (2016, state-level disease burden estimates by IHME, ICMR and PHFI).[9] • Per-capita economic loss due to air pollution in Rajasthan is at $28.5; in Delhi, where per-capita economic loss is highest, it is $62. • Economic loss attributable to air pollution as a percentage of state GDP is 1.70 percent. • Economic loss due to lost output from premature deaths and morbidity attributable to household air pollution as a percentage of state GDP in Rajasthan is 0.79 percent. • Economic loss due to premature deaths and morbidity as a percentage of state GDP in 2019 for Rajasthan was highest for ambient particulate pollution, followed by household air pollution, and ambient ozone pollution. • Ischemic heart disease and lower respiratory infections are the leading causes of loss in productive life years in Rajasthan. • The disease burden due to air pollution amongst children is highest in the state. Rajasthan records the highest number of deaths caused by Lower Respiratory Infection (LRI) in children. In 2017, the death rate due to LRI in the 0–5-year age group was 126.04 per 100,000 population. Opportunities for Rajasthan Rajasthan is amongst India’s states that have taken steps to carry out a structured diagnosis of the problem of air pollution. It is in a position to build on the existing momentum, provided it is able to mobilise required resources. The following paragraphs provide a snapshot of current interventions. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has identified 124 cities as “non-attainment cities”—i.e., they have failed to meet the prescribed standards on air pollution. Five of these 122 cities are in Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Alwar, and Udaipur.[10] Their levels of PM10 and PM2.5 are higher than prescribed limits even though they meet SO₂ and NOₓ standards. Bhiwadi, a city in Alwar district, has also been identified as a hotspot primarily because of its being a hub for many polluting industries.[11] Other hotspots are likely to be identified in the state if monitoring facilities were improved. In 2016, the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) began a detailed study in some of these cities through an engagement with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.[12] The study aimed to prepare a complete emission inventory highlighting the sources and magnitude of air pollution. The studies found that road dust significantly contributed to air pollution in the state—a fact that often evades policy attention. On Jaipur Road, for example, dust contributes to 46 percent of PM2.5 emissions; and in Bhiwadi, it accounts for 48 percent.[13] Similar studies have been commissioned for other Rajasthan cities in collaboration with IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur, and these studies have helped the state formulate science-informed action plans. As the results of new studies are awaited, action plans for other non-attainment cities have been prepared based on the experiences of Jaipur and Bhiwadi.[14] At the same time, municipal waste treatment is also being given focus, as there is evidence that large-scale burning of municipal waste and horticulture waste contributes significantly to PM2.5 and PM10 emissions.[15] More than 65 municipalities have already installed facilities to recycle municipal waste. Towards this endeavour, financial assistance is being provided by the Central Government under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) (INR 100 million for Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota).[16] Further, as per the 15th Finance Commission recommendations, INR 1.40 billion is also earmarked for these three cities. Based on a January 2020 study by IIT Kanpur, 10 hotspots in Jaipur have been identified where dust emissions are significant. Micro-level action plans are being created with the non-government Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).[17] A similar exercise is being planned for Jodhpur, Kota Alwar, and Udaipur, also with the help of CSE.[18] Central to these plans is the progressively improving monitoring capacity. At present, there are 39 manual monitoring stations across the State, as well as 10 continuous air quality monitoring stations that provide real-time information. There is a plan to install 35 additional continuous air quality monitoring stations by the end of 2021.[19] Ramping up monitoring capacity will enable air quality information in at least all district headquarters. Mobile vans are also being procured for short-term air quality measurement in any hotspot. Already, there has been a steady decline in the level of PM10 and PM2.5 in the annual average figures since 2017. For instance, in Alwar, there was a decline of 57 percent in for PM10 and 45 percent in PM2.5 in the years following 2017. [20] All the cities have also witnessed a decline in ambient air pollution. Key Challenges The complexities of Rajasthan’s air pollution problem need to be considered in designing a coherent and convergent strategy. Economic Geography The economic geography of Rajasthan is skewed (see Figure 1). Over 70 percent of Rajasthan’s industrial output comes from just four regions dominated by small-scale industries—Jaipur, Bhilwara, Udaipur, and Ganganagar account for, respectively, 39 percent, 18 percent, 9 percent, and 4 percent of the State’s industrial output. Within these regions, the key districts driving industrial growth are Ajmer, Alwar, Barmer, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, and Udaipur.[21]