‘Pollution claimed nearly 54K lives in city last year’

Air pollution caused by hazardous PM2.5 fine particulate matter led to the death of 54,000 people in Delhi last year where pollution levels remained almost six times above the prescribed WHO limits, according to a new study.

According to a Greenpeace Southeast Asia analysis of IQAir data, 1,800 deaths per million were estimated due to PM2.5 air pollution in Delhi. PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Exposure to PM2.5 is considered the most important environmental risk factor for deaths globally and was attributed to 4.2 million premature deaths in 2015, the study said.

The study noted that the damage is equally worrying in other Indian cities.

Noting that the air pollutant levels in Delhi remained almost six times above the prescribed WHO limits of 10 g/m3 annual mean, the study said the estimated air pollutionrelated economic losses were $8.1 billion (`58,895 crore), which amounts to

13 per cent of Delhi’s annual GDP. “Despite a temporary reprieve in air quality owing to the lockdown, the latest figures from the report underscore the need to act immediately. The need of the hour is to rapidly scale up renewable energy, bring an end to fossil fuel emissions, and boost sustainable and

accessible transport systems,” the study said.

Globally, approximate 1,60,000 deaths have been attributed to PM2.5 air pollution in the five most populous cities of Delhi (30 million), Mexico City (22 million), Sao Paulo (22 million), Shanghai (26 million), and Tokyo (37 million), it said.