New Delhi: Indians may lose over three years of life expectancy due to continuous air pollution, according to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report by the University of Chicago.
“Despite a 19.3% reduction in particulate matter levels in 2022 compared to 2021, the average resident in India is projected to lose 3.4 years of life expectancy if current pollution levels persist,” stated the report from the university’s Energy Policy Institute.
“While Bangladesh is the most polluted country overall, India bears the greatest health burden from air pollution due to its large population exposed to these conditions,” the report highlighted.
The northern plains of India, which are home to over half a billion people or nearly 40% of the country’s population, are the most polluted region. Even though particulate levels in this area fell by 17.2% in 2022, the average resident is still expected to lose about 5.4 years of life expectancy if pollution levels do not improve. However, if current trends of improvement continue, life expectancy could increase by 1.2 years, underscoring the need for further mitigation efforts.
Outside the northern plains, states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan face the highest pollution levels in the country. On average, the 292.3 million people living in these states are currently losing 2.9 years of life expectancy.
In 2022, South Asia experienced an 18% decline in air pollution after two decades of worsening conditions, mainly due to meteorological factors such as above-average monsoon rainfall linked to La Niña, according to the report.
This weather pattern amplified the effects of modest reductions in emissions from India’s residential and transportation sectors. Nationwide efforts like the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which encourages clean cooking, and initiatives to reduce diesel usage in transportation have contributed to these improvements.
“While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons for the improvement in South Asia’s air quality in 2022, favorable weather conditions such as above-normal rainfall and fewer thermal inversions likely enhanced the effects of modest emission reductions in India’s residential and transportation sectors,” the report noted.
India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in 2019, aims to cut particulate pollution levels by 40% by 2026 in 131 non-attainment cities. Meeting this target could extend life expectancy by two years in these cities and add 7.8 months to the national average.
By 2022, pollution levels in these cities had decreased by 18.8% since 2017, resulting in an additional 10.8 months of life expectancy for 446.7 million residents and a four-month gain for the national average.
Since the early 2000s, the number of vehicles on the road in India and Pakistan has quadrupled. From 1998 to 2017, electricity generation from fossil fuels in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan combined has tripled. Additionally, crop burning, brick kilns, and other industrial activities have further contributed to the rise in particulate emissions in the region.
Global pollution levels decreased in 2022, primarily due to a reversal of trends in South Asia. Despite this decline, the region remains the most polluted in the world, accounting for 45% of the total life years lost due to high pollution levels.
