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1.7 million deaths in India were attributable to air pollution in 2019, which was 18% of the total deaths in the country, a scientific paper published on the health and economic impact of air pollution has said.
Published in Lancet Planetary Health, the paper documents the trends in health loss due to air pollution and its economic impact in every state of India using the latest methods and data.
The study found that household air pollution is decreasing in India, resulting in 64% reduction in the death rate attributable to it from 1990 to 2019, whereas the death rate from outdoor particulate air pollution has increased during this period by 115%.
Household air pollution is caused by unclean solid fuels for cooking. Outdoor particulate air pollution is caused by residential and commercial biomass burning, windblown mineral dust, coal burning for energy generation, industrial emissions, agricultural stubble burning, waste burning, construction activities, brick kilns, transport vehicles, and diesel generators.
Further effort is needed in India to reduce these emissions.
The central and state governments in India are implementing a series of initiatives to control outdoor particulate air pollution.
Prof Vinod Paul, Hon’ble Member NITI Aayog said on the release of the findings, “This scientific paper presents the latest evidence on air pollution in India, translating the health loss to economic impact,” adding, “Air pollution and its impact is not a matter for the health sector alone, and the solutions lie in a multi-sectoral approach with a common commitment to reducing exposure to toxic air, which is impacting the health and productivity of Indians.”
(This story was first published on FIT.)
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