Bad Air Quality: Life expectancy in Delhi declines by 10 years

New Delhi : Life expectancy in the national capital has declined by over 10 years with a trend of hosting bad air, specially during the crop burning season. In last two decades, 2016 was the year with worst air quality measured.

According to a new study, Delhi is ranked second among 50 most polluted areas in the country. And, India is the second most polluted nation in the world, trailing just behind Nepal.

According to air quality life index and accompanying report produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), globally particulate pollution reduces average life expectancy by 1.8 years, making it the greatest global threat to human health.

"By comparison, first-hand cigarette smoke leads to a reduction in global average life expectancy of about 1.6 years," it said.

"The impact of particulate pollution on life expectancy is comparable to that of smoking, twice that of alcohol and drug use, three times that of unsafe water, five times that of HIV/AIDS, and more than 25 times that of conflict and terrorism," it said.

It also mentioned that the presence of fine particulates in the air has increased by 69 per cent in last two decades.