India calls on ‘airshed neighbours’ to tackle rising pollution pangs
Baku: Describing pollution as a “transboundary” issue, India has urged nations, especially Pakistan and Bangladesh, to take proactive and collaborative measures to manage and mitigate air pollution across borders. This appeal comes as northern India has been witnessing a rise in pollution with New Delhi’s air quality hitting a ‘severe’ level for the first time this season, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 418, on Wednesday.
Ministers and heads of delegations from six of the eight countries that share the Earth’s tallest cryosphere zone met at a meeting hosted by Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on day two of the global climate conference COP29 in Azerbaijan on Tuesday, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said in a statement on Wednesday.
In the meeting, India highlighted air pollution as a pressing and shared challenge within the Indo-Gangetic Airshed.
“Most of our countries fall under the same airshed, i.e., the Indo-Gangetic Airshed. This is a transboundary issue. All countries must work together to address air pollution,” said Naresh Pal Gangwar, joint secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change. He urged nations, particularly Pakistan and Bangladesh, to take proactive, collaborative steps to manage and mitigate air pollution across borders.
Earlier this month, Pakistan blamed winds from India for worsening air quality in Lahore and taking the smog to “dangerous levels”.
Tuesday’s meeting took place as scientists issued fresh warnings about unprecedented economic and environmental losses from ice and snow melt, with 2023 setting records for cryospheric degradation.
The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, often referred to as Asia’s “water tower”, supplies fresh water to nearly two billion people across Asia. Yet, climate change-induced warming has accelerated glacial melting, threatening water, food and energy security.
Bhutanese Prime Minister Tobgay emphasised the urgency, saying: “With global temperatures rapidly nearing the 1.5°C threshold, we must act now, collectively.” Other regional leaders voiced similar concerns.
