India has been identified as the one of the most polluted countries, as per several recent studies. Consequently, the citizens here face severe health issues. Lower respiratory tract infection (LRI) due to exposure toward toxic air, for instance, is one of the major reasons for child mortality in India. According to a 2018 study by the medical journal The Lancet, ambient air pollution which leads to LRI is  attributed for mortality, especially when affected patients are with the under-nourished and underprivileged children of India who do not have adequate healthcare facilities.   A child dies in India every three minutes by inhaling toxic pollutants in the air, according to the analysis by Global Burden of Disease 2017.

All these statistics are an evidence to  the alarming  level of pollution in the air. The air pollution is segregated into two categories i.e. ambient air pollution, (particulate matter 2.5) and household air pollution. The joint burden of these two categories of air pollution can be measured with an increase in the burden of diseases, both in India and globally. The health burden is increasing mainly with increasing diseases, such as acute lower respiratory disease (ALRI), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), lung cancer, and stroke.

Government and the regulatory bodies are key stakeholders toward implementing plans for improving air quality in cities. One of the main targets for the government, therefore, should be to encourage the public to use their private vehicles thoughtfully. More than 1,400 new vehicles are added on the road in Delhi every year. In India, owning and driving one’s vehicle is often perceived as a status symbol, and hence the task of making public thoughtful of the use of their private transport might be difficult to implement. For the government to achieve this, it needs to strengthen its public transportation system in cities and encourage people for minimizing the usage of their personal vehicles.

The government also needs to promote fuel and energy efficient CNG and electric vehicles. Implementing schemes to convert existing petrol vehicles to CNG and providing subsidies for purchase of electric vehicles should be a step forward toward making vehicles in Indian cities eco-friendly. According to BIS Research report, the global electric vehicles market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 28.30% during the forecast period 2017-2026.  

One of the measures initiated by the Delhi Govt. to check pollution is the execution of “Odd-Even” scheme, wherein the vehicles with number plates ending with odd numbers (3,5,7 or 9) are allowed on the roads on odd dates and vehicles with number plates ending with even numbers (2,4, 6, 8, and 0) are allowed on the road on even days.

On January 2019, the Indian Government launched a five-year plan to reduce air pollution in the worst-affected cities in India by approximately 20-30% by 2024, with measures such as putting curbs on vehicular emissions, brick productions, and crop burning. These can be some of the small steps that the government can take toward reducing air pollution.

One of the  crucial stakeholders in the fight against air pollution are the mobility partners, which  include both vehicle manufacturers and mobility service providers. Several vehicle manufacturers in India have realized the need for a more sustainable power source for automotive and have followed the worldwide trend of developing electric vehicles for the future. Companies such as Hyundai, Mahindra, and Tata  have already launched fully electric vehicles in India. Another trend has been toward catering to the large two-wheeler market in India by manufacturing electric scooters. Companies such as Hero, Evolet, Ather, and Ampere are active in this sector. Yet, to successfully implement the onset of electric vehicles in India, there are various challenges that need to be tackled such as lack of adequate charging infrastructure and high cost of electric vehicles.

The other key member of mobility partners are the mobility service providers. They provide various services such as ride sharing, carpooling, ride-hailing, and micro mobility. According to BIS Research report, the Indian mobility-as-a-service market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 56.31% during the forecast period 2018-2028. These services enable a user to avail rides according to their ease. These services lead to better vehicle space and resource utilization and helps in having lesser vehicles on the road. According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), shared vehicles in India can lead to saving 2000 billion kilometres of vehicle movement on the road by 2035, resulting in saving 1 gigaton of CO₂ by 2030. BIS Research forecasts that the global micro mobility market (in terms of value) is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.95% during the forecast period 2019-2029..

Lastly, the citizens of India are one of the significant stakeholders who are affected by the quality of air. Citizens need to accept the challenge for tackling air pollution. Adopting healthy and efficient lifestyles such as cycling, using public transport, and ride sharing, instead of using personal vehicles can create an impact on air pollution. Adopting micro-mobility modes for short distance journeys and multi-modal transportation for long distances can help in decreasing the emissions for vehicles. The citizens themselves would be crucial as after all, they are the ones suffering from the toxic air, and they have to push for better legislations and adopt toward eco-friendly modes of transportation for curbing air pollution in Indian cities.