South India need own Air Quality Commission: Study

The study, Governance Framework for Airshed-Level Air Quality Management in South India, examined pollution movement across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and argued that pollution cannot be effectively managed through State-wise action alone.

According to the study, between 38% and 65% of annual average pollution in the five-State region originates within the South Indian airshed. The local contribution varies considerably: 38% in Telangana, 44% in Andhra Pradesh, 47% in Karnataka, 61% in Tamil Nadu and 65% in Kerala. The remaining pollution is transported from outside the region.

CSTEP has proposed a phased institutional framework for regional cooperation, including a shared air-quality monitoring dashboard and a Peninsular Air Quality Response Protocol to coordinate seasonal responses across States.

The study also recommends coordinated measures covering households, industry, energy and transport. These include cleaner cooking options, a common industrial-fuel framework, stronger enforcement of emission standards, common electric-vehicle targets and phased retirement of older vehicles.

The proposal gains added significance following a National Green Tribunal observation that air pollution transcends administrative boundaries and requires a regional or airshed-based approach. The Tribunal directed the Environment Ministry and CPCB to establish an appropriate institutional mechanism for regional coordination among southern States.

Unlike Delhi-NCR, where CAQM has statutory authority across State boundaries, South India currently lacks a comparable regional body.

The study argues that coordinated action could help the five States address shared pollution sources more efficiently and move towards a common, data-driven clean-air strategy.