Why India Needs to Work with Neighbors to Improve Air Quality: Expert Analysis
Pollutants flowing across borders play a crucial role in determining the air quality of the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills, creating a complex environmental challenge that demands regional collaboration. How have other countries around the world addressed similar scenarios, and what can India learn from these experiences?
The Transboundary Nature of Air Pollution in South Asia
Recently, the World Bank released a significant report titled 'A Breath of Change: Solutions for Cleaner Air in the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills', which emphasizes the urgent need for transboundary cooperation in tackling air pollution. The report clearly states that air pollution in the IGP-HF region spreads far beyond national boundaries, creating a shared environmental crisis.
"In areas with the highest local contribution, such as Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, Uttar Pradesh in India, and Dhaka in Bangladesh, it reaches only about 60%. On the other side of the spectrum, in Nepal's Terai region, 68% of air pollution has been estimated to originate in other countries," the report highlights. This transboundary characteristic of the IGP-HF airshed underscores the critical necessity for regional cooperation.
Zerin Osho, director of the India Program at the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development, provides detailed insights into India's efforts for cross-border cooperation in air quality action and examines successful models from around the world.
Why Cross-Border Cooperation is Essential for IGP-HF
The Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills function as a single transboundary airshed, where pollutants are transported across administrative and national boundaries by prevailing winds and atmospheric circulation patterns. An airshed is typically defined as an area with a distinct air mass where emissions originating within the region largely remain confined within its boundaries.
The World Bank report notes that during winter months, north-westerly winds can carry particulate pollution from Pakistan's Punjab into north-western India, accounting for up to 30% of air pollution in Indian Punjab and contributing to background pollution levels in Haryana and the Delhi-NCR region. Consequently, actions taken by any single country, while fundamentally important, prove insufficient to deliver sustained air-quality improvements across the entire region.
A recent modeling study led by IIT Bombay reveals that a significant portion of PM₂.₅ concentrations in major Indian cities arises from transboundary and inter-regional transport. Emissions from upwind states and neighboring countries measurably contribute to local pollution loads. The study emphasizes that regional atmospheric circulation enables fine particulate matter to travel hundreds of kilometers, affecting both densely populated urban centers and ecologically sensitive Himalayan foothill regions.
Current Mechanisms for India's Coordination with Neighbors
South Asia currently lacks a legally binding treaty on transboundary air pollution comparable to Europe's Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. However, India participates in several regional and international mechanisms that facilitate coordination on air-quality monitoring, data sharing, and mitigation through cooperative, science-based approaches, including the non-binding Male Declaration.
At the regional level, India engages in an airshed-based science-policy dialogue for the IGP-HF through initiatives coordinated by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and supported by the World Bank. These collaborative efforts have produced significant outcomes such as:
- The Kathmandu Roadmap (2022)
- The Thimphu Outcome (2024)
These frameworks emphasize the need for harmonized emissions inventories, shared air-quality monitoring systems, and coordinated actions to reduce PM₂.₅ exposure across national boundaries.
India also participates in global cooperative platforms as a member of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), which supports voluntary collaboration on reducing short-lived climate pollutants through technical assistance and knowledge exchange. Simultaneously, the India Meteorological Department contributes atmospheric composition data to the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch program, strengthening the global understanding of long-range pollution transport patterns.
Domestically, India is institutionalizing the airshed approach through the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), established in 2021 by the Union Government to oversee air-quality management for the Delhi-NCR airshed, explicitly moving beyond city- and state-level boundaries. State initiatives are aligning with this approach; for instance, Uttar Pradesh's Clean Air Action Plan adopts regional coordination and source-apportionment across districts.
In responses to Parliament, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has confirmed that India is progressively shifting toward airshed-based planning, regional coordination, and strengthened monitoring frameworks.
Limitations, Failures, and Successes in Regional Cooperation
The lack of a sustained funding mechanism represents one of the most significant limitations in regional cooperation efforts. The Malé Declaration serves as a prime example—while it recognized air pollution as a shared regional challenge and committed countries to national actions complemented by regional cooperation, progress slowed following the termination of sustained external funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency between 1999 and 2013.
Although a new draft agreement and work plan have been developed, and a political agreement has been reached to relaunch the Malé Declaration with renewed emphasis on resource mobilization, institutional strengthening, and updated monitoring frameworks, regional mechanisms in South Asia remain voluntary, under-resourced, and institutionally weak. This limits their ability to respond effectively to the transboundary nature of the air pollution crisis.
National initiatives have generated important domestic momentum for air quality improvement. India's National Clean Air Programme, whose implementation progress is tracked through the PRANA portal, and Bangladesh's National Air Quality Management Plan (2024–2030) represent significant steps forward. In India, this momentum has been accompanied by substantial fiscal transfers recommended by the Fifteenth Finance Commission, which earmarked performance-linked grants for air quality management to urban local bodies.
However, utilization of these funds has remained uneven and often low. A key constraint is that these resources are routed through city-centric institutions, while major sources of air pollution frequently lie beyond municipal boundaries. This underscores how shifting implementation from a city-based to an airshed-based framework could enable more effective use of public funds.
Global Examples of Successful Cross-Border Cooperation
Several regions worldwide demonstrate that cross-border cooperation on air pollution can deliver tangible results when supported by shared legal frameworks and coordinated action. Europe's efforts are anchored in the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, adopted in 1979 as the first international treaty to address cross-border air pollution.
Now comprising 51 Parties, the Convention and its protocols establish binding emission reduction commitments for key pollutants including:
- Sulphur dioxide
- Nitrogen oxides
- Ammonia
- Volatile organic compounds
- Particulate matter
Coordinated implementation under this convention has led to sharp emission reductions across the region—most notably, sulphur dioxide emissions have declined by over 80% since 1990—contributing to improved ecosystem health and substantial public health benefits.
Similar principles underpin bilateral cooperation between the United States and Canada, where coordinated action to address transboundary air pollution has successfully reduced acid deposition and improved air quality in shared border regions. These international examples provide valuable lessons for South Asia as it seeks to strengthen regional cooperation mechanisms for cleaner air.
