Air pollution across the Indo-Gangetic Plain and eastern India has worsened sharply over the last two decades, with Bihar and West Bengal emerging as some of the most polluted regions, according to a long-term satellite-based study by Kolkata’s Bose Institute. The research found that particulate matter pollution rose by more than 20% during 2010-2019 compared to the previous decade, while pollution from the plains is now travelling into the Himalayan region. The study also warned that India’s clean air efforts remain heavily city-centric and are failing to tackle rural biomass burning, which has become a major source of pollution.
Published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, the research analysed pollution patterns from 2000 to 2024 across the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Himalayas and the North-East. It tracked how pollution hotspots shifted over time and examined whether interventions under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) made a measurable impact.
