A new report based on an analysis of 20 years of pollution levels has found that air pollution in India is reducing life expectancy by over five years. According to the Air Quality Life Index 2020 Annual Report published by the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago (EPIC), the average Indian loses 5.2 years due to particulate pollution. The report further mentions that India’s 1.4 billion people have made peace with living in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level exceeds the WHO guidelines. 84% of Indians live in areas where it exceeds India’s own air quality standards.
“Though the threat of coronavirus is grave and deserves every bit of the attention it is receiving, perhaps more in some places, embracing the seriousness of air pollution with a similar vigour would allow billions of people around the world to lead longer and healthier lives,” says Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and creator of the AQLI along with colleagues at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).
The highest loss of life expectancy in India was in UP’s capital city Lucknow, which has the highest pollution level in the country. Its residents stand to lose 10.3 years of life expectancy if the same pollution levels persist. India’s capital Delhi is also highly polluted. Residents of Delhi could see 9.4 years added to their lives if pollution is reduced to meet the WHO guideline.
Countries in South Asia are the worst affected by this stubborn problem. Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh have seen a 44% rise in air pollution in the past two decades. About a quarter of the global population lives in these four countries. Bangladesh has emerged as the world’s most polluted country, where 161 million people live in areas where particulate pollution far exceeds standards set by the World Health Organisation. As a result, life expectancy is reduced by 6.2 years, the EPIC report said
In recent years, India has started recognising that air pollution is a grave problem. In 2019, the federal government announced the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce particulate pollution by 20-30% relative to 2017 levels by 2024. If India does achieve and sustain this reduction, it would lead to remarkable health improvements, the report said.
