1.0 NATIONAL VIEWS ON AIR POLLUTION 1.1 In India, the problems of air pollution are attributable to natural as well as anthropogenic reasons . The meteorological conditions (temperature, wind currents, rainfall etc.) and edaphic (soil) behaviour are, to a great extent, responsible for pollution caused by air borne dust particles particularly in the arid and semi-arid areas. Among the anthropogenic factors, combustion of fuel (biomass and fossil fuel) for various activities is the most predominant cause of air pollution.

2. The major concerns with regard to air pollution in the country are related to environmental damage and economic losses caused by emissions from various sources. The potential losses due to air pollution have been aggravated by increasing fossil fuel consumption to meet the demands of growing population, industrial growth and transportation.
2. In relation to other environmental issues in the country, the air pollution problem received recognition at the national level only in recent years. For the first time, national importance to the problem of air pollution was given through the promulgation of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. However, the local authorities had earlier taken some measures through legal statutes to deal with the problem of air pollution in their jurisdiction. For instance, the smoke Nuisance Act (1905) was promulgated by the Govt. of West Bengal and it was prompted by the concern for protection of the Victoria Memorial Hall in Calcutta. Subsequently, similar statutes were enforced in other states and the only measures available for detecting the violation were through the Ringleman's test. With the promulgation of the national legislation on prevention and control of air pollution, the need for concerted efforts with commensurate supporting measures (such as associated policies, institutional mechanism and professional capabilities for monitoring and control) is being increasingly recognised.
2. Air Pollution is a problem in different parts of the country, the nature and extent of which depend on the environmental setting of different areas and polluting sources. The urban centre's and the areas with conglomeration of industrial activities and coal based power plants are more affected by the problem of air pollution. Through the national air quality monitoring network in 290 stations installed in various parts of the country, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) brings out annual air quality statistics which corroborate the above stated fact. However, the air quality monitoring in remote rural areas is not extensive enough to prove that these areas are free from air pollution and are not affected by transboundary movement of air pollutants from other areas.

 
3. The impacts of air pollution have not been systematically studied, analysed and documented in India. Nevertheless, sporadic studies indicate that air pollution affects human health, agricultural productivity, horticultural crops, cultural property and precipitation chemistry. An attempt was made by the World Bank to assess the economic cost associated with environmental degradation including the cost linked to air pollution. A Non-governmental organisation (Centre for Science and Environment) used the World Bank model and air quality data collected by CPCB for computing the impact of air pollution on mortality and morbidity. Epidemiological studies have been undertaken in selected problem areas. However, as yet authentic data on the relationship between air pollution and health effects are not available.
2. The general environmental conditions in India are typical of a developing economy. On the one hand, the envisible problems like lack of potable water supply, sanitation, energy efficiency, clean fuels can be tackled only through sustained economic growth. On the other hand, the unintended side effects of economic growth and development process have also led to a new set of envisible issues with the increasing industrialisation, urbanisation, energy generation and vehicular traffic. Air pollution is an envisible problem which is inherited from inadequacies of development as well as offshoot of development process in transition.