“Instead of focusing on concerns over tariffs, India should give top priority to controlling pollution. Pollution is a challenge in India, and its impact on the Indian economy is far more consequential than any impact of tariffs imposed so far. From an international investor’s point of view, if you are thinking of setting up operations in India and living there, the environment matters. Poor air quality, difficult living conditions and health risks can discourage investors. This also poses a major health challenge for ordinary Indians who work every day in polluted cities.” This observation was made by economist and Harvard University professor Gita Gopinath at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where global leaders and top corporate executives had gathered. What the former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund openly stated is a harsh reality—one that students or civil rights activists might risk legal action against or arrest for, if they are voiced in front of India Gate in Delhi or on university campuses, on the charge of bringing “disrepute” to the country. She did not merely make a statement but supported it with data as well. According to a 2022 World Bank study, nearly 17 lakh people die every year in India due to pollution. Accounting for 18 per cent of all deaths in the country, this loss of life is not just a personal tragedy but a severe economic burden that affects India’s workforce, families, and long-term development, Professor Gita pointed out.
Out of the 248 cities in India where the Central Pollution Control Board conducted air quality monitoring on January 21 to prepare the Air Quality Index (AQI), only five recorded a “Good” rating. In ten locations, including the national capital Delhi, air quality continued to remain in the “Very Poor” category. According to reports by the World Bank and The Lancet Planetary Health, air pollution causes India to lose between 1.3% and 1.5% of its GDP every year. It has a serious impact on public health, with the growing incidence of respiratory illnesses leading to increased absence from workplaces and costly hospital stays. This, in turn, significantly reduces the country’s productivity. Water pollution, meanwhile, has crossed all limits. Even Indore, which has retained the title of India’s cleanest city for eight consecutive years, recently witnessed loss of human lives linked to water contamination. The level of pollution in the Ganga and Yamuna, rivers regarded as sacred by millions across the country, defies measurement by any standard. Towards the end of October, the country witnessed special arrangements being made to create a “clean Yamuna” using treated drinking water so that the Prime Minister could take a ritual dip during Chhath Puja.
Rivers such as the Mithi in Maharashtra and the Musi in Telangana are now commonly described as open sewers. In Kerala, the Periyar river, which serves as a drinking water source for lakhs of people, routinely runs red with toxic industrial effluents, leading to the destruction of fish stocks, an occurrence that has sadly ceased to be considered news. Beyond this, India is fast turning not only into the world’s largest mobile phone market but also into one of the largest dumping grounds for discarded electronic devices. In addition to the massive volume of e-waste generated domestically, a significant share of electronic waste from countries such as the United States, Canada and several European nations is being dumped in India. The lead, mercury and cadmium contained in this waste are seeping into the soil and water, turning them highly toxic. Poor workers who struggle to earn a single meal are employed in these e-waste processing centres without any safety measures. Even deaths at these sites are often concealed. The earliest victims of water and air pollution are the poor, along with children, the elderly and women. While ordinary people collapse gasping for breath, the authorities appear to wash their hands of responsibility. Those who speak out against the dangers of pollution are pushed into legal entanglements and even imprisonment. While a few may reap huge profits by polluting the air, water and soil, the administration’s reluctance to control pollution and bring the guilty to justice may stem from this very reality. Regardless of who profits, it is the country that pays the price, and it is the people who are being destroyed.