Mumbai, November 6: Holistic nutrition and integrative lifestyle expert Luke Coutinho has moved the Supreme Court of India with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) under Article 32 of the Constitution, urging urgent judicial action to address India’s escalating air pollution crisis, which he describes as a “national public health emergency.”
Right to Clean Air for All
Coutinho, who serves as a Wellness Champion for the Prime Minister’s Fit India Movement, said his plea is not just personal but a fight for millions. He seeks to uphold the fundamental right to clean air under Article 21, protecting citizens across all age groups, from unborn babies and children to senior citizens and those battling respiratory illnesses.
“Every day I see people struggling to breathe. Children, once healthy, are now falling sick. This is not just an environmental problem, it’s a human health emergency,” Coutinho said.
India’s Air 10–20 Times Worse Than Safe Levels
According to the World Air Quality Report 2023 (IQAir), 39 of the world’s 50 most polluted cities are in India, with Delhi’s PM2.5 levels spiking up to 20 times the WHO safe limit. Reports from the Energy Policy Institute, University of Chicago, indicate pollution may reduce life expectancy in North India by up to 7.6 years, with one in eight deaths in India linked to toxic air.
The PIL seeks Supreme Court intervention to declare air pollution a national public health emergency, make the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) legally enforceable, and establish a National Air Quality Surveillance System for real-time nationwide monitoring.
Health and Economic Toll
Coutinho’s petition cites alarming data from medical research linking long-term exposure to respiratory and cardiac diseases, cancer, infertility, and neurological damage.
The 2024 CAPHER Report (AIIMS–IIT Delhi) found 1 in 4 adults now experience persistent breathlessness, including non-smokers, while children show reduced lung function.
Economically, India is estimated to lose ₹18 lakh crore annually, or 8.5% of GDP, to pollution-related healthcare costs, productivity loss, and premature deaths (World Bank, Health Policy Watch).
Failure of Existing Measures
Since 2019, over ₹11,200 crore has been allocated under NCAP, but the petition notes that 67% of funds have been spent on short-term dust control, and less than 1% on industrial and household pollution. PM2.5 levels in major cities remain dangerously above limits, often exceeding 100 µg/m³ compared to the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
The PIL demands legally binding emission targets, a National Health Registry, expansion of air-quality monitoring stations from 559 to 4,000, and accountability frameworks for both government and industry.
“Clean Air Is Not a Privilege, It’s a Constitutional Right”
Coutinho’s plea, filed by Advocate Rooh-e-Hina Dua in the Supreme Court, calls on citizens, policymakers, and institutions to unite for cleaner air.
“Toxic air is silently destroying our health and robbing our children of their future,” he said. “We have improved how we eat, move, and sleep but what about the air we breathe? When every breath becomes toxic, no lifestyle change can save us. This PIL is about protecting the very act of breathing.”
