It’s a well-known fact that lower levels of air pollution contributes to better cardiovascular and respiratory health of a country. Air pollution not only causes shorter but also sicker lives.
In a recent study conducted by the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), India has been credited with the country having worst air pollution, beating even China, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The EPI is the global platform for effectively ranking countries on the basis of performance on high-priority environmental issues. One of the most dangerous forms of air pollution in India is airborne Particulate Matter.
Delhi tops the list
Delhi has recently topped the chart of cities in the country with an alarmingly high level of Particulate Matter concentration of up to 10 micrometer in size (PM10). Delhiites have never been so critically exposed to various diseases.
The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) noted in its 2014 position paper that the worst performers with respect to PM10 were the northern states including Delhi with the highest PM10 concentration, Jharkhand followed with maximum sulphur dioxide level and West Bengal had the highest nitrogen dioxide level.
Air pollution and Health
Air pollution poses several health risks including stroke, heart diseases, lung cancer, chronic and acute respiratory diseases like asthma.
There has hardly been any major invention since 2003 when the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) was introduced, to deal with ever increasing air pollution in Delhi. No policy or regulation could keep vehicular population and construction activity in check. Ludhiana, Kanpur, Lucknow and Indore also come in the list of top 20 most polluted cities.
Curb air pollution
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), ambient or outdoor air pollution in the rural and urban areas across the world caused 3.7 million premature deaths in 2012. The need of the hour is substantial policies and investments supporting energy-efficient housing facilities, power generation, cleaner transport and better municipal waste management.
picture courtesy- rush lane
