The residents in Haryana are losing an average lifespan of 8.4 years due to exposure to severe air pollution in the State.
The air quality life index (AQLI), released by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) on Wednesday stated that citizens in Haryana can live up to 8.4 years more on an average, if particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration in the State is at the level of 10 µg/m3 (mili-micrograms per meter cube) which is deemed safe by the World Health Organization.
The annual average PM 2.5 concentration in Haryana was 96 µg/m3 in 2019.
The air pollution is reducing the life expectancy of people by 5.5 years in Haryana, relative to what it would be if the safe limits for PM 2.5 levels in India i.e. 40ug/m3 is met, the report said.
The AQLI, developed by EPIC, converts air pollution concentrations into their impact on life expectancy and tells how much longer can we live if we breathe in clean air.
On sustained exposure to particulate pollution in neighbouring States of Punjab and Himachal where WHO guidelines were not met, the findings in the report stated that this has shortened the lives of people in Punjab by 5.6 years and in Himachal, by 2.9 years.
In the Union Territory of Chandigarh, which is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, the residents are losing up to 5.5 years of their lives due to exposure to air pollution.
The 510 million residents of northern India, 40 per cent of the country’s population, are on track to lose 8.5 years of life expectancy on average, if pollution levels of 2019 persist, said the report.
It further revealed that overall, air pollution shortens average Indian life expectancy by 5.9 years, relative to what it would be if the WHO guideline was met and three years relative to what it would be if pollution were reduced to meet the country’s own national standard.
Notably, the northern State of Haryana faces a major challenge to improve the worsening air quality due to continuous growth of urban population, industrial emissions, motor vehicle emissions and the stubble burning.
Many major cities in Haryana have reported air quality index in the ‘severe category’ over the past few years. Gurugram and Faridabad, which lie to the national capital region, have reported an air quality index of over 400.
The Millennium City-Gurugram was also among the 30 most polluted cities in the world in 2020, according to a report by a Swiss group that ranked cities based on their air quality measured in terms of the levels of PM 2.5.
While the pollution levels had declined sharply due to Covid-19 triggered lockdown in early 2020 in the state, the AQI again plunged to a very ‘severe category’ later last year. In November 2020, Faridabad had recorded an AQI of 414, Gurgaon 425, Hisar 441, Jind 457 and Fatehabad 446, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s data.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 severe.
A ‘very poor’ AQI essentially means that people may suffer from respiratory illnesses on prolonged exposure to such air. If the air quality dips further, the AQI turns ‘severe’, which may trouble even those with sound health conditions and seriously affect those with ailment.
