Rising pollution could hit monsoon rains: UN report

NAGPUR: Rising air pollution in India is likely to impact rainfall patterns in the country and decrease monsoon in long term, which can cause extensive financial losses, warns a United Nations report released on Tuesday.


“Air Pollution in Asia and the Pacific: Science-based Solutions” presents a scientific assessment of air pollution in Asia and the Pacific. Released in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) first global conference on air pollution and health in Geneva, the report covers various pollution aspects which India is grappling with.


The largest impact of air pollution on the Indian monsoon will be a decrease in the amount of rainfall, the report warns. “However, some parts can also witness high precipitation depending on the topography. Pollution will also impact the duration and distribution of rainfall,” said Nathan Borgford-Parnell, science affairs adviser at Climate and Clean Air Coalition who co-authored the report.

The report states that the presence of particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), a deadly tiny pollutant, can affect precipitation patterns during monsoon in India. “A weaker trend in the Indian monsoon precipitation has been linked to changes in the emissions of particles and other pollutants from within and outside Asia,” the report says.

The report also has a word of praise for several mitigation measures taken by the government.

Recognising indoor air pollution as a major health crisis in India, the report reveals that it is contributing as much as 22-52% to the country’s ambient air pollution. Speaking exclusively to TOI, Andy Haines, member of the scientific advisory panel of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, said from Geneva, “The much-needed mitigation measure that India needs to ensure is provision of clean household energy. Burning of fossil fuels in households is a big health threat, especially for women and children.”

UN claims that if the suggested measures are implemented, annual premature mortality associated with indoor air pollution can decline by 75%. This means that about 2 million premature deaths per year can be avoided in countries like India .

The economic development data of 41 countries (in Asia and the Pacific) shows that unlike many other nations who managed to control air pollution with economic development, India’s air quality got worse with an increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A graph shows as India transitioned from a low-income to a middle-income country between 1995 and 2014, levels of PM 2.5 increased significantly.

Haines added that growing air pollution was affecting the country’s health care, with an increase in ailments like heart attack, cancer and other respiratory diseases.