Rollback of SO2 norms: A dangerous setback for India's clean air goals

As a legislator, I meet residents who don't talk just about housing or infrastructure, but also about the air their children breathe. Their concerns are not misplaced. In cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, where air quality touches hazardous levels for most parts of the year, this isn't just an environmental concern - it's a crisis of daily life. With the recent decision by GoI to roll back SO₂ emission norms for coal-fired thermal power plants, we now risk making our air even deadlier.

This decision, barely seven months after the sixth extension of deadlines for installing flue gas desulfurisation (FGD) systems, is a glaring policy U-turn. Even more concerning is that it limits mandatory FGD installation to only plants within 10 km of cities with over 1 mn people, exempting nearly 78% of India's coal power capacity. This rollback, cloaked as a 'science-based recalibration', is anything but progressive, reversing a decade-long effort to curb the toxic emissions that fuel the air pollution crisis. It is a dangerous compromise that jeopardises public health in the name of marginal cost savings.

Is it that those with a lesser population don't have an equal voice? Is it that towns with populations under a million don't face pollution issues?


Independent environmental audits across Maharashtra's industrial clusters revealed that fly ash was being dumped into water bodies near Nandgaon in Nagpur district, unregulated coal washeries were leaving behind toxic residues, and power plants were operating without pollution controls. In Chandrapur and Nagpur, the sky was tinted with soot. Children suffered from asthma, senior citizens from chronic bronchitis, and families covered their faces even within their homes.

A policy shift was made toward transparency, accountability and citizen-first governance. Maharashtra became the first state to recognise the climate emergency and saw this as an opportunity to the quality of life and create jobs through green growth. Environmental audits were initiated in state-run and private thermal power plants to evaluate their compliance with SO₂ and PM2.5 emission norms. After the inspection of the Chandrapur plant, an investigation was initiated into fly ash mismanagement, which called for swifter FGD installation.

In Nandgaon, when locals protested fly ash dumping on farmlands, dumping was paused and an action plan was developed for 100% utilisation of the byproduct. The pollution control board was asked to roll out real- time air quality monitoring for coal- based industrial clusters and make data public. Coal washeries in Vidarbha were brought under tighter compliance, with closure notices issued to violators.

According to an IIT-Hyderabad and Harvard University study, potential reductions in fine particulate matter and premature mortality following implementation of air pollution controls on coal-fired power plants in India, implementing FGD tech nationwide could cut PM2.5 levels by up to 8%, and prevent nearly 48,000 premature deaths annually.

And, yet, the new notification exempts nearly 78% of India's coal power capacity (462 of 600 units of thermal power plants) from this tech, restricting mandatory FGD installation to plants located only within 10 km of cities with over 1 mn people. What of the millions living in smaller towns and rural areas who are also vulnerable?

India has rightly committed to ambitious climate goals - achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030, and sourcing 50% of its energy needs from non-fossil fuel sources. However, rolling back environmental safeguards, like the FGD emission norms for coal-fired power plants, undermines the foundation of these commitments and sends out contradictory signals - while we speak the language of climate ambition abroad, we're willing to dilute it for short-term expediency at home.

Such decisions also jeopardise progress made under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce PM2.5 and PM10 pollution by 20- 30% by 2024 across over 120 non-attainment cities. Coal power plants are among the largest stationary sources of SO₂ and PM2.5 emissions in India. Weakening norms for these high-emission sources makes the NCAP's goals increasingly elusive, placing the burden of pollution control disproportionately on smaller sectors and citizens.

This decision must be rolled back. Emission controls in thermal plants must be enforced uniformly, not selectively. Central and state governments should collaborate to ensure that cleaner tech is implemented, without placing an undue burden on citizens.

Climate action is not only about our global commitments but also our duty towards our citizens for a better life. It's time for a similar resolve on thermal pollution. Let this not be a moment where we step back. Let it be one where we draw the line.