Bengaluru: Air pollution is a silent killer in many Indian cities, triggering thousands of premature deaths each year. A recent study has revealed a concerning trend: even cities with lower levels of air pollution, such as Bengaluru, face a higher mortality risk from airborne pollutants. The study, published in The Lancet Planetary Health, emphasises that current air quality standards may be insufficient to protect public health.
The first multi-city evaluation of air pollution exposure in India highlights that approximately 33,000 deaths annually across ten cities can be attributed to air pollution, with Delhi leading with nearly 12,000 deaths, followed by Mumbai (5,091) and Kolkata (4,678). Surprisingly, cities traditionally perceived as having cleaner air, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai, also show significant mortality risks. The study reveals that Bengaluru, with a PM-2.5 level of 33 micrograms per cubic metre, experiences an estimated 2,102 air pollution-related deaths annually. This is notable considering the city’s air pollution levels are below India’s safe limit of 40 micrograms annually. In comparison, an increase of every 10 micrograms of PM-2.5 over a 48-hour period increases the mortality risk by 3% in Bengaluru, as opposed to 0.3% in Delhi, indicating a tenfold risk disparity.
Official of the Centre for Health Analytics and Research at Ashoka University, and a lead member of the study team, notes the critical implications of these findings. The study encompassed data from 2008 to 2018 and included cities like Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Shimla, and Varanasi. The research demonstrates that over 7% of all deaths in these cities could be linked to short-term PM-2.5 exposure exceeding the World Health Organisation’s guideline value of 15 micrograms per cubic metre. The WHO’s safe limit is significantly lower than India’s standard, yet the study finds substantial air pollution-related deaths even where PM-2.5 levels are below national thresholds. For instance, Chennai (PM-2.5 at 33.7 micrograms) reports 2,870 deaths, while Ahmedabad (37.9 micrograms) and Hyderabad (38.9 micrograms) report 2,495 and 1,597 deaths respectively. Even Shimla, a hill station with an annual PM-2.5 level of 28.4 micrograms, records 59 air pollution-related deaths.
These findings suggest that India’s air quality standards need urgent revision. The Union Environment Ministry’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), aimed at combating air pollution in 131 non-attainment cities, has been criticised for its inadequate targets and underutilisation of funds. Former Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh highlighted the inefficacy of the NCAP, noting that over 50% of its funds remained unutilised by the end of 2023. Moreover, out of 131 cities under NCAP, only 8 met the programme’s targets, while air pollution worsened in 22 cities. The researchers call for year-round, nationwide action against air pollution, rather than focusing primarily on the Indo-Gangetic plains during winter. They stress the need to identify and address regional and local pollution sources, including transport, waste burning, and diesel generators. Ramesh further criticised the government’s delay in mandating Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) equipment for coal power plants, attributing thousands of preventable deaths to this policy inertia.
