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A new study by a US research group has said that air pollution can reduce the life expectancy of Indians by up to nine years. India is notorious for extreme air pollution. If they are not quick to rectify their mistakes, the pollution can cause serious health problems for the people living in those areas.
According to the research, there are 480 million people currently living in northern India, and they face some of the worst levels of air pollution in the world. However, soon we will even start to see this pollution make its way to other parts of the country as well.
India bags top ranks in global pollution rankings almost every year, it might be the position the country would be thrilled about, but it is true. Bad air and pollution are responsible for over a million deaths in India. It is up to the government to take important steps towards cleaner air policies as it can easily add up to five years to people’s lives. This study has brought India’s problems with pollution into the limelight, and we can only hope that the government will take these findings seriously.
A report by The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago concluded that people living in northern India breathe pollution levels that are ten times worse than those found in any other part of the world.
However, the problem is no longer in the north because over the course of several years, the pollution has spread to the western and central Indian states such as Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra whereas the average Indian is losing around 2 to three years of life expectancy. Data from the Air Quality Life Index suggests that if pollution levels are reduced to meet the World Health Organization guidelines, it could add up to 10 years to the lives of people living in Delhi.
The report goes on to say that Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, which account for nearly a quarter of the world’s population, are consistently among some of the most polluted countries in the world. The research also mentions the steps the Indian government has taken to fight air pollution, such as the National Clean Air Program of 2019, which aims to reduce dangerous particle pollution.
But it is still too early, and we will have to wait and see what kind of impact these steps have in the future. However, if the plans are implemented properly, it can quite easily add a few years to the population’s life expectancy.
China is another example that has taken some great steps to reduce particulate production, and it has reduced it by as much as 29% since 2013. Air pollution is something that all countries need to take seriously because it will hurt the population in more ways than we can imagine. It is the job of every country to give its people a good life.
