India’s air pollution is so bad, it’s reducing average life expectancy by 5 years.
— News18.com (@news18dotcom) July 29, 2020
If you live in Delhi or Kolkata, it’s cutting your life expectancy by 8 years.
Read more: https://t.co/msAv5nNbas
According to a survey, India is the second most polluted country in the world and while this should be a matter of great concern for us Indians, we have made peace with living in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level exceeds the WHO guidelines.
84% of Indians live in areas where the air quality standards are worse than bad. And, according to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago’s Air Quality Life Index, the average Indian is losing 5.2 years of their lives due to particulate pollution.

Residents of metropolitan cities like Delhi and Kolkata can also lose more than 8 years of their lives due to increased pollution levels. Since 1998, the annual pollution level has increased by 42%, taking away 1.8 years off the life of the average resident over those years.


So, there is still hope. With this, it is time for India to make certain policy changes to counter pollution before it’s too late.