Shillong: Northeast India has transitioned from a historically clean region into a significant air pollution hotspot over the last two decades. A 25-year study conducted by researchers at the Bose Institute in Kolkata indicates that particulate matter levels in the region rose by 20% to 50% between 2000 and 2024.
Data shows that organic carbon aerosols, which are fine particles linked to smoke, increased by nearly 50% during the decade ending in 2019 compared to the previous ten years. This trend accelerated between 2020 and 2024, with levels climbing another 30% to 40%. The pollution footprint has expanded across state lines, particularly in Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura, while major hubs like Guwahati are recording PM2.5 levels well above national air quality standards.
Researchers attribute this degradation to different factors than those found in Northern India. While urban areas elsewhere deal with industrial and vehicle emissions, the Northeast is primarily affected by rural biomass consumption for cooking and heating. Additionally, the region experiences spikes in smoke caused by traditional slash-and-burn, or jhum, cultivation practices.
Geographic and atmospheric patterns also play a role, as winds along the Brahmaputra River Valley transport industrial emissions from West Bengal and Bihar into the eastern Himalayas. The study notes that the region serves as both a source and a receptor for long-range pollution. Despite these findings, large rural areas of the Northeast remain outside the scope of India's National Clean Air Programme, which currently focuses on urban centers.
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