Pollution has become synonymous with death, with 1.7 million people dying in India alone! This WHO report will terrify you.

The Lancet Countdown recently released a report on pollution-related deaths. It stated that approximately 1.7 million people died in India in 2022 due to exposure to pollutants like PM 2.5.

Air pollution is no longer just a matter of pollution; it has become a major health crisis that directly endangers human life. According to the recently released Lancet Countdown report, prepared in collaboration with the WHO, exposure to the smallest particulate pollutants like PM 2.5 in India in 2022 caused the deaths of over 1.7 million people. PM 2.5 particles are so small that they can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause serious illness. So, let's find out what this WHO report contains. 

What is in this WHO report?

The report also states that this number is significantly higher than in the last 12 years. This means that the risk of air pollution is continuously increasing and is having a profound impact on health. According to the Lancet report, deaths due to air pollution in India are now at a worrying level. According to the report, human-caused air pollution in India caused more than 1,718,000 deaths in 2022, a 38 percent increase compared to 2010. Coal and liquid gas contributed approximately 44 percent of this. Coal use alone caused 394,000 deaths, of which 298,000 were due to the use of coal in power plants. The use of petrol in road transport caused 269,000 deaths. 

Air pollution and climate change warnings

The report warns that the impacts of air pollution and climate change are extremely severe in India. By 2024, India will experience an average of nearly 20 days of heatwaves per person, with nearly one-third of these being directly caused by climate change. Furthermore, heat-related deaths have increased by 23 percent. 

 

Experts say air pollution has made India one of the worst-affected countries in the world. Kolkata-based pulmonologist Arup Haldar said that deaths due to air pollution in 2022 were three times more than deaths due to COVID-19 that year. This figure clearly shows the dangerous nature of air pollution and its widespread economic and social impact on human health. The report also estimated economic losses. The value of premature deaths due to air pollution in 2022 was approximately $339.4 billion, equivalent to 9.5 percent of India's GDP.