Cost of breathing harmful air: Delhi residents may lose 11.9 years of life due to pollution level
Delhi is the most contaminated megacity in the world with Noida and Gurugram next in line with average loss of life of more than 11 years.
People living in Delhi stand to fail almost 12 years of their lives because of air pollution, the nastiest in all megacities of the world, a global report released on Tuesday found, with the Capital’s satellite cities of Noida and Gurugram next in line with average loss of life of more than 11 years.
After Delhi, the average resident of Gautam Budh Nagar (which comprises Noida and Greater Noida) may lose 11.3 years of their lives, heeded by Gurugram (11.2 years), Faridabad (10.8 years) and Ghaziabad (10.7 years), demonstrating that the whole metropolitan area mandates primary engagement in tackling air pollution. (PTI)
The average Delhi resident might lose 11.9 years of their lives on average to air pollution, the Air Quality Life Index 2023 report of the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) has stated.
The report, which estimated the loss in life expectancy globally across 245 countries and territories, analysed the annual average PM2.5 levels registered across various Indian cities and states, with 2021 taken as the base year. The data was approximated with the standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for particulate matter less than 2.5 microns thick (PM2.5) of 5 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). PM2.5 can cause intense health issues and premature mortality.
The National Capital Region (NCR) was the most polluted hotspot across the country and its citizens were the worst impacted globally, according to the EPIC report, which is published yearly.
Last year’s report evaluated 2020 as the base year and found Delhi inhabitants were losing 10.1 years of their lives to severe air pollution. It also assessed the revised WHO standards of 5µg/m3 per for PM2.5, as compared to 10µg/m3 earlier.
Across India, for which the average life expectancy loss is 5.3 years, the second-most impacted state was Uttar Pradesh (8.8 years), followed by Haryana (8.3 years).
The most polluted area of India is the northern plains, home to more than a half billion people and 38.9% of the country’s population. In this region, the average resident is on track to lose about 8 years of life expectancy, if the pollution level persists,” the EPIC report said.
“The region contains the capital city of Delhi, the most polluted megacity in the world with annual average particulate pollution of 126.5 micrograms per cubic metre — more than 25 times the WHO guideline,” the report said, finding that average annual particulate pollution boosted by 61 between 1998-2021, lessening life expectancy by 3.2 years during the period.
Even if Delhi were to reduce air pollution to national standards, residents would still stand to lose around 8.5 of their lives, with Gautam Budh Nagar and Gurugram residents losing 7.8 years, Faridabad 7.4 years and Ghaziabad residents still losing 7.2 years from average life expectancy. The annual national standard for PM2.5 is 40µg/m3.
EPIC’s life expectancy estimates are based on a pair of peer-reviewed studies. By comparing two subgroups of the population that experienced lengthened exposure to distinct grades of particulate air pollution, the studies were able to plausibly isolate the effect of particulate air pollution from other facets that impact health. One of them found that sustained exposure to an additional 10µg/m3 of PM10 reduced life expectancy by 0.64 years. An additional 10 micrograms per cubic metre of PM2.5 reduced life expectancy by 0.98 years.
While particulate matter pollution is largely exacerbated in northern India by geological and meteorological factors, human activity also played a key role in the severe air pollution, the report found.
“This is likely because the region’s population density is nearly three times that of the rest of the country, meaning more pollution from vehicular, residential and agricultural sources,” it said. “A denser population also means more human lives are impacted by each pollution source.”
Professor SN Tripathi from IIT Kanpur, who is also part of the Steering Committee of the National Clean Air Programme, said the report highlights a well-known issue of severe air pollution not just limited to Delhi-NCR, but to the Indo-Gangetic Plain as a whole.
This entire region is fertile and has a high population that is densely packed together. There are anthropogenic activities, industries and a rapid rise in vehicles over the years, which, when combined with unfavourable meteorological conditions or local factors like stubble burning, has led to such high pollution. However, the trend over the last few years has been positive and cities and states are working hard to meet the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) targets, which should be the first goal, followed by the goal of meeting the annual standard of 40 micrograms per cubic metre,” Prof Tripathi said. Financial insecurity deemed cruelty: Delhi HC
