Breathing Problems: The Unequal Impact of Air Pollution on Migrant Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in India

This paper focuses on three case studies of industrialization in India, focusing specifically on air quality. It analyzes the impact of poor air quality on the poorest sectors of society—namely, migrant workers—and the extent to which this was exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2013 India became the first country to adopt country-specific targets and indicators for air quality. Average exposure to small particulate matter (PM) has since dropped by 10 percent, but India still has the ninth highest average particulate matter concentration globally. One-third of India’s productivity is down to the informal sector, who are often unregistered, poorly paid, and shunned by large swaths of society. As one worker put it, “they treat us like stray dogs.” India’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic brought the treatment of this sector of society into sharp focus by suddenly, and literally, casting the previously ignored migrant and marginalized elements of society into the open. The paper uses data from Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Kolkata (West Bengal), and Pune (Maharashtra) to investigate links between government policies on industrialization, air quality, migrant workers, and COVID-19. It concludes by suggesting that in order to continue its economic development without destroying its living resources, India needs to improve pollution monitoring, enforce tighter pollution standards, and meaningfully incorporate human rights protection into environmental quality.