Achieving India’s 30% clean air target under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) could reduce the country’s disease burden by nearly a third, bringing the national disease prevalence rate down from 4.87% to 3.09%, according to the newly launched Health Benefit Assessment Dashboard, developed by Climate Trends in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
The Dashboard, launched at a consultation workshop in New Delhi, is a first-of-its-kind analytical tool based entirely on Indian data. It uses the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) data from 641 districts to draw clear links between PM2.5 air pollution and several key health conditions among women of reproductive age and children under five years.
Designed to present the real-world health implications of air pollution, the Dashboard models a scenario where India meets the NCAP’s 2024 target of reducing PM2.5 levels by 30% from 2017 baselines.
According to Sagnik Dey of IIT Delhi, the aim was to convert scientific evidence into a clear health narrative that policymakers and citizens can relate to.
The average PM2.5 level in India during the NFHS-5 period (2019–2021) was 59.6 μg/m³. A 30% reduction would bring this down to 41.72 μg/m³, with significant health benefits. Among women aged 15–49, the national diabetes prevalence could fall from 1.7% to 1.4%. The greatest gains are expected in States with high pollution and large populations such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Assam — where diabetes reductions could range from 8% to 25%, the analysis finds.
Other health conditions like hypertension, heart disease, COPD, and anaemia are also expected to decline with cleaner air. For instance, COPD prevalence among women could fall by up to 12% in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Odisha. Hypertension rates could decrease by up to 8% in Punjab, Assam, and Bihar, while anaemia rates in women could fall by as much as 8% in Assam, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
Children, too, stand to benefit immensely. In high-burden states such as Bihar and Delhi, cases of lower respiratory infections could fall noticeably. Prevalence of low birth weight is expected to drop in Punjab, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh, while anaemia among children could see significant reductions in states like Jharkhand, Tripura, and Assam.
Even in southern and north-eastern States where air pollution is relatively lower, measurable improvements in child health indicators are projected.
The Dashboard also highlights specific districts with the highest potential gains. In North Goa, diabetes prevalence could fall from 4.75% to 4.27%. In Bathinda, Punjab, hypertension rates could drop from 19.53% to 18.77%. In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, COPD could reduce from 9.43% to 9.11%.
Among children, Pashchim Champaran in Bihar could see LRI cases fall from 27.59% to 26.18%, while child anaemia in Tapi, Gujarat could drop from 59.84% to 57.35%.
Virinder Sharma, Technical Member at the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), highlighted the invisible nature of the air pollution crisis. “The numbers are shocking but abstract. People do not connect these impacts to their daily lives. There is no death certificate for air pollution. The crisis is silent, invisible, and diffuse,” he said.
Aarti Khosla, Director of Climate Trends, called for a shift in how air pollution is perceived, urging that it be treated foremost as a public health crisis rather than solely an environmental or climate issue. It is important to move away from short-term responses and instead focus on durable, systemic solutions that address the root causes of poor air quality, she said.
Despite the expansion of LPG connections through schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the continued reliance on biomass for cooking and heating—particularly during colder months—remains a significant challenge, according to Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation. She highlighted indoor air pollution as a persistent threat, disproportionately affecting women and children, and stressed that its consequences go beyond health and environment, touching deeply on issues of gender inequality.
Dr. Swaminathan also called for the creation of a national Environmental Health Commission, co-chaired by the Union Ministers of Health and Environment. “We need a single, empowered body that can use science-based recommendations to drive real policy change,” she said. “Air pollution must be treated as a national issue, not just a Delhi problem.”
Kalpana Balakrishnan of Sri Ramachandra Institute noted that while scientists are excellent at generating data, this should not delay interventions. “We cannot wait for perfect data before acting. Regulatory standards are already based on robust science. We must trust them and act accordingly,” she said.
The Health Benefit Assessment Dashboard is available online and offers policymakers, researchers, and the public a data-driven resource to guide action on air quality and health.
Published – September 30, 2025 08:43 pm IST
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