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Imagine if someone told you that the air you breathe every day is quietly taking years off your life. That’s exactly what’s happening in India, where all 1.4 billion people live in places with air dirtier than what the World Health Organisation (WHO) says is safe.
A new report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) says that if India’s air met global standards, the average person could live 3.5 years longer. Even in the country’s cleanest areas, people could gain almost 10 extra months of life just by breathing cleaner air.
So, what makes the air so harmful? The problem is caused mainly by tiny particles called PM2.5, small enough to get deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream. In 2023, PM2.5 levels in India were higher than in 2022, and more than eight times the WHO limit.
The WHO guideline for PM2.5 is just 5 micrograms per cubic metre, but India’s own standard allows 40 micrograms. Right now, nearly half of India’s population (46%) lives in areas where even this weaker Indian standard is broken. Meeting the Indian limit would still add about 1.5 years of life for people in those regions.
PM2.5 particles in India are more than eight times above the WHO limit.
Cleaner air could add 8.2 years to the lives of Delhi’s residents.
Over 544 million people there could gain five years of life if pollution fell to WHO levels.
The NCAP aims to cut 2017 pollution levels by 40% by 2026 in 131 cities.