World Bank approves $600 million for clean air programmes in UP and Haryana

Haryana’s Clean Air Project seeks to support the state’s multi-sectoral action plan to curb pollution through integrated interventions in transport, agriculture, industry and urban development.

The World Bank on Tuesday approved nearly $600 million in financing for two large-scale clean air programmes in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, a move set to impact an estimated 270 million people in one of the world’s most polluted regions.

The project will also promote sustainable agricultural waste management to tackle stubble burning. (HT archive)

Haryana’s Clean Air Project, backed by a $300 million loan, seeks to support the state’s multi-sectoral action plan to curb pollution through integrated interventions in transport, agriculture, industry and urban development.

Key components include expanding air-quality monitoring networks, supporting the large-scale adoption of electric buses and three-wheelers in Gurugram, Sonipat, and Faridabad, and helping micro, small, and medium enterprises transition to cleaner technologies. The project will also promote sustainable agricultural waste management to tackle stubble burning.

The approvals mark the first time Indian states have launched comprehensive, airshed-based strategies to tackle the interconnected sources of air pollution, according to the Bank. The two projects are part of the broader Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills Regional Airshed Management Programme.

“South Asia continues to experience some of the world’s worst air pollution levels, causing severe health risks, lower productivity and an overall decline in quality of life,” said Paul Procee, the World Bank’s acting country director for India. He added that the initiatives would demonstrate how air-quality improvements can generate green employment, especially benefiting women and youth.

The loans have differing terms: the Uttar Pradesh programme carries a 10-year maturity with a two-year grace period, while the Haryana loan extends to 23.5 years with a six-year grace period.