Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
Environmental pollution in India - statistics & facts
India’s economic boom has come with major environmental pollution issues. Rapid urbanization and industrialization in recent decades have contributed to widespread water contamination, notoriously poor air quality, and the destruction of ecosystems across the country. This has not only impacted the health of the environment, but also put the health of its citizens at risk. With millions of premature deaths linked to pollution every year, the world’s most populous country faces a race against time to address these environmental issues.
Despite India's efforts to combat its environmental issues, such as through the launch of the National Clean Air Programme in 2019, funding to clean water sources, and a push to expand renewable energy, pollution remains a major issue. And with the country continuing to urbanize and develop rapidly, without more ambitious action, these issues will likely persist for the foreseeable future.
Air quality in India
Air pollution remains one of the most pressing environmental issues in India. In 2024, it was the fifth-most polluted country in the world, with an with an average PM2.5 concentration of 50.6 micrograms per cubic meter - 10 times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit. Millions of citizens across the country continue to be exposed to thick layers of smog from sources including motor vehicles, power generation, and waste and crop burning. In 2024, nearly three-quarters of the 100 most polluted cities in the world were in India, with the northeastern industrial town of Byrnihat topping the list with a staggering PM2.5 concentration of 128 µg/m3. Exposure to high levels of PM2.5 is linked to a host of adverse health effects, and is attributed to around seven percent of total daily deaths in the India.Land pollution
Large swathes of India’s landmass has suffered considerably as the country has developed, with various forms of land pollution, such as fertilizer use, mining, deforestation, waste disposal, and urbanization, causing significant harm. In 2019, the latest year for which data is available, at least 30 percent of India’s total land was under degradation, with this figure rising to more than 60 percent in states including Delhi, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand. Land pollution can lead to issues like poor crop yields and massive economic damage, as well as the contamination of important water resources.India’s water crisis
Water pollution is another significant challenge in India, with just 10 percent of the country’s water bodies achieving good quality in 2023. Untreated sewage, mismanaged waste, and agricultural and industrial runoff all contribute massively to water contamination. Many of India’s lakes and rivers that people rely on for drinking water are now heavily polluted, while the contamination of groundwater sources exposes thousands to harmful pollutants such as nitrates and arsenic. This has led to a national health crisis, with more than 300,000 premature deaths linked to unsafe water sources every year.Despite India's efforts to combat its environmental issues, such as through the launch of the National Clean Air Programme in 2019, funding to clean water sources, and a push to expand renewable energy, pollution remains a major issue. And with the country continuing to urbanize and develop rapidly, without more ambitious action, these issues will likely persist for the foreseeable future.
