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The Union government has told Parliament that international air quality benchmarks, including those set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), are advisory in nature and do not carry any binding obligation for countries. Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the WHO’s Air Quality Guidelines are intended to act as reference points to help nations formulate their own standards based on their specific conditions.
Singh also said that global pollution rankings frequently cited in public discourse are not issued by any recognised intergovernmental authority. He said indices such as the IQAir World Air Quality Ranking, the WHO Global Air Quality Database, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), and the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) metrics are produced by independent bodies for informational purposes, and that no official country-wise pollution ranking exists at the global level.
Answering a query from CPI(M) MP V Sivadasan, the Minister said countries determine their national air quality norms after considering a range of variables, including geography, background pollution levels, socio-economic context, and environmental conditions. India, he said, has already notified National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 12 pollutants with the aim of safeguarding public health and environmental quality.
The WHO, he added, offers guidance on determining breakpoints but does not prescribe uniform thresholds for all countries, since factors such as immunity, adaptability, and local environmental characteristics vary.
Singh noted that while independent assessments often place several Indian cities high on global pollution lists – 13 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities in 2024 were located in India, according to IQAir, with Byrnihat in Meghalaya topping the list and Delhi labelled the most polluted capital – these rankings do not come from any official international mechanism.
The Minister pointed out that the government instead operates its own annual Swachh Vayu Survekshan, which evaluates and ranks 130 cities participating in the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) based on the steps they take to improve air quality. Cities that perform well are recognised each year on National Swachh Vayu Diwas, observed on September 7.
He also told the House that while air pollution is a contributing factor to respiratory and related illnesses, the Union government does not possess conclusive domestic data that can isolate death or disease solely attributable to pollution exposure.
Although the WHO tightened its air quality guidelines in 2021, recommending an annual PM2.5 limit of 5 µg/m³ and a 24-hour limit of 15 µg/m³, India continues to follow its 2009 NAAQS thresholds of 40 µg/m³ (annual) and 60 µg/m³ (24-hour) for PM2.5.