Delhi, UP being worst-affected States, says report
Air pollution is likely to reduce the life expectancy of about 40 per cent of Indians by more than nine years, with Delhi and Uttar Pradesh being the worst-affected States, said a report by a US research group on Wednesday.
Residents of the national Capital will lose 9.7 years of their lives due to pollution while those in Uttar Pradesh 9.5 years, according to findings in the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report, a tool developed by the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago (EPIC).
“Alarmingly, India’s high levels of air pollution have expanded geographically over time,” the EPIC report further painted a grim picture of the health hazard.
Compared to a couple of decades ago, particulate pollution is no longer a feature of the Indo-Gangetic plains alone. Pollution has increased in States of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. For example, the average person in those States is now losing an additional 2.5 to 2.9 years
of life expectancy, relative to early 2000.
“Nearly 40 per cent of India’s population is exposed to pollution levels not seen in any other country, with 510 million residents of northern India on track to lose 8.5 years of life expectancy on average, if pollution levels persist,” it added.
The annual average PM2.5 concentration in the cities of Allahabad and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh is 12 times the WHO guideline. Residents of Lucknow stand to lose 11.1 years of life expectancy if these pollution levels persist.
In 2019, India’s particulate matter concentration was 70.3 µg/m³ — the highest in the world and 7 times the WHO’s guideline of 10 µg/m³.
It further said South Asia is home to the most polluted countries on earth, with Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan accounting for nearly a quarter of the global population and consistently ranking among the top five most polluted countries in the world.
Lauding India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in 2019 to rein in dangerous pollution levels, the EPIC report said “achieving and sustaining” the NCAP goals would raise the country’s overall life expectancy by 1.7 years and that of New Delhi by 3.1 years.
The NCAP aims to reduce pollution in the 102 worst affected cities by 20 per cent-30 per cent by 2024 by ensuring cuts in industrial emissions and vehicular exhaust, introducing stringent rules for transport fuels and biomass burning and reducing dust pollution. It will also entail better monitoring systems.
According to the EPIC’s findings, neighbouring Bangladesh could raise average life expectancy by 5.4 years if the country improves air quality to levels recommended by the World Health Organization.
To arrive at the life expectancy number, EPIC compared the health of people exposed to different levels of long-term air pollution and applied the results to various places in India and elsewhere.