India calls for cross-border collaboration with Pakistan, Bangladesh to tackle transboundary pollution

Baku: Describing pollution as a "transboundary" issue, India has urged nations, especially Pakistan and Bangladesh, to take proactive and collaborative measures to manage and mitigate air pollution across borders.

This appeal comes as northern India has been witnessing a rise in pollution with New Delhi’s air quality hitting a ‘severe’ level for the first time this season, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 418, on Wednesday.

Ministers and heads of delegations from six of the eight countries that share the Earth’s tallest cryosphere zone met at a meeting hosted by Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on day two of the global climate conference COP29 in Azerbaijan on Tuesday, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said in a statement on Wednesday.

ICIMOD is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge sharing centre.

In the meeting, India highlighted air pollution as a pressing and shared challenge within the Indo-Gangetic Airshed.

“Most of our countries fall under the same air-shed, i.e., the Indo-Gangetic Airshed. This is a transboundary issue. All countries must work together to address air pollution,” said Naresh Pal Gangwar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change.

He urged nations, particularly Pakistan and Bangladesh, to take proactive, collaborative steps to manage and mitigate air pollution across borders, the statement said.

Earlier this month, Pakistan blamed winds from India for worsening air quality in Lahore and taking the smog to "dangerous levels".

Tuesday's meeting took place as scientists issued fresh warnings about unprecedented economic and environmental losses from ice and snow melt, with 2023 setting records for cryospheric degradation.

The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, often referred to as Asia’s “water tower”, supplies fresh water to nearly two billion people across Asia. Yet, climate change-induced warming has accelerated glacial melt, threatening water, food, and energy security for millions in the region.

Bhutanese Prime Minister Tobgay emphasised the urgency, saying, “The HKH region is a biodiversity hotspot and a repository of some of the world’s largest ice reserves. With global temperatures rapidly nearing the 1.5°C threshold, we must act now, collectively, to mitigate impending disasters that will affect both mountain populations and 1.6 billion people living downstream.” Other regional leaders voiced similar concerns.

Nepal’s Forests and Environment Minister Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri cited recent disasters, including a flood that swept away an entire village in the Himalayan nation, calling for global solidarity to address the region’s vulnerabilities.

Pakistan’s Coordinator to Prime Minister on Climate Change, Romina Khursheed Alam, urged unity and stronger international support, underscoring that the future of the HKH region relies on sustainable, resilient efforts that transcend individual nations.

Bangladesh echoed these calls, stressing that the impacts of the climate crisis extend across borders and require regional commitment.

“If we continue with business as usual, the problem will only grow more severe,” Bangladesh’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Farhina Ahmad warned, underscoring the country's dedication to amplifying HKH climate issues at both national and regional levels.

Kathmandu-based ICIMOD outlined specific strategies to address the mounting crisis.

ICIMOD Director General Pema Gyamtsho stressed the need for enhanced disaster preparedness, increased adaptation financing, and more robust policy coordination.

"Across this region, families are facing the agonising choice of either adapting to unprecedented climate changes or abandoning their ancestral homes," Gyamtsho noted, calling for targeted financing to aid adaptation efforts and support for comprehensive loss-and-damage policies.

Looking forward, Bhutan’s Energy and Natural Resources Secretary Karma Tshering proposed intensified regional cooperation on key issues, including cryosphere risk monitoring, disaster preparedness, air pollution control, and biodiversity conservation.

Tshering also emphasised the importance of strengthening the region’s capacity to secure funding from global initiatives like the Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund.

He advocated for biennial ministerial meetings as a mechanism to ensure continued focus on HKH concerns, aligning with agreements from the 2020 Ministerial Mountain Summit.

The HKH region, spanning eight countries, including India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, is vital to the ecological balance and resources that sustain nearly a quarter of the global population.