According to
a new study released by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of
Chicago (EPIC). India is among the most polluted countries in the world, with approximately
480 million people or about 40 % of its populous living in the Indo-Gangetic
plains in the north where pollution levels frequently exceeds those found
anywhere else in the world by a greater margin, stated the University of
Chicago's Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report.
The study by
the varsity’s Energy Policy Institute further discloses a steady increase in
life’s duration of a person based on the degree of clean air they inhale.
People
residing in northern India are more likely to lose greater than nine years of lifetime,
if pollution levels of that of 2019 continues to persist, as the region
experiences the most extreme levels of air pollution in the world, the report
stated.
In 2019,
India’s average particulate matter (PM) concentration was 70.3 microgram per
cubic metre (μg/m3), the highest in the world and seven times the World Health
Organisation’s (WHO’s) guideline of 10 μg/m3, indicates the report.
The study
further mentions that India’s high levels of air pollution has radically
expanded geographically over time.
“Compared to a couple of decades ago,
particulate pollution is no longer a feature of the Indo-Gangetic plains alone.
Pollution has increased so much in the 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,” the
report said.
The study reports
that for Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, the average life expectancy of
a person can be increased to 5.6 years longer provided pollution were reduced
to meet the WHO guidelines.
“Due to South Asia’s high population
and pollution concentrations, the region accounts for 58% of total life years
lost due to particulate pollution exceeding the WHO guideline,” it said.
The report
has cited the root of the cause to be in case of India and Pakistan, the number
of vehicles on the road has increased about four-fold since the early 2000s
while in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan combined, electricity
generation from fossil fuels tripled from 1998 to 2017. Also, crop burning,
brick kilns, and other industrial activities have also contributed to rising
particulates in the region.
As per the AQLI,
the report said, particulate pollution is a key hazard that contributes to the
deterioration of human health.
“South Asia is consistently the most
polluted region, with the people there seeing their lives shortened by an
average of 5 years relative to what it would be if the region met the WHO
guideline—and even more in the most polluted parts of the region like northern
India,” the report said.
