India, a war zone for foreign travellers

Abysmal air quality has to be the worst advertisement for India as a travel destination. No amount of government PR can stop foreign travellers from seeing our country as a 'war zone' that is best avoided, at least until the smog of war clears. This week, severe air pollution across northern India pulled off a Houdini act, making the Taj Mahal in Agra 'vanish'. But focusing on Agra or Delhi misses the point. As does the disaster management line that pollution has affected only parts of 'our wonderful country', so visitors have plenty of other places within India to go to. Most Indians seem to be blase about their own well-being. But outsiders are not. Reputational damage is serious.

The Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) is among India's most polluted regions, and air quality across northern India has worsened this past week. Flight disruptions were inevitable. Yet, administrative inaction remains a constant challenge, as does an apathetic citizenry. While stubble-burning as winter approaches gets the lion-share of the blame, pollution is not a seasonal menace but a year-round crisis for IGP, fuelled by polluting factories, an increasing number of vehicles and weak enforcement of green laws. Cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds worsen the situation by trapping deadly pollutants each winter.

Last month, after years of dithering, GoI finally set up a panel to develop an airshed approach, a much-needed step to address this scourge. But will it deliver results, or merely shuffle papers? If the Taj's disappearing into a smoggy abyss isn't a wake-up call, what is? The stakes - health, economy and India's global standing - demand action, not more bureaucratic tiptoeing. Those hopeful of visiting India can only hope this happens sooner than later.