Delhi air pollution shortens life by 10 years, report says

The goal of the NCAP, which was launched in 2019, is to reduce the level of particulate matter concentrations by 20% to 30% from its 2017 levels by 2024.

The report identified India as the world’s second most polluted country, with Bangladesh being the most polluted country in the world. More than 63% of the population of India lives in areas that exceed the country’s national air quality standard of 40 µg/m3, going by the report.

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It also identified the Indo-Gangetic plains as the most polluted region in India. It stated that the annual average PM2.5 level for Delhi in 2020 was 107 µg/m3, which is more than 21 times the guideline of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“The average Indian resident is set to lose 5 years of life expectancy if the WHO guideline is not met,” the report stated. The WHO’s revised guidelines issued last year for annual PM2.5 concentration is 5 µg/m3, reduced from an earlier limit of 10 µg/m3.

In the Indo-Gangetic plains, residents are likely to lose 7.6 years of life expectancy on average, if current pollution levels persist, going by the report. Residents of Lucknow could stand to lose 9.5 years of life expectancy, it added.