Air Pollution In Delhi Amounts To 15 Lakh Deaths Every Year: Report

DELHI AIR POLLUTION: The Air Quality Index in Delhi's Anand Vihar was recorded to be above 600 and the data released by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research(SAFAR) stated the overall AQI of Delhi to be 456 on Saturday morning. 

According to reports, environmentalist Vimlendu Jha while speaking to a news agency said that air pollution kills 15 lakh people every year. According to another report by AajTak, people living in Delhi-NCR lose 9.5 years of their lives due to bad air quality. The Lung Care Foundation reportedly said that every third child has asthma due to the air pollution.

Every year, Delhi-NCR sees its worst days in the months of October and November. The early fog of the upcoming winter gets mixed up with heavy smoke coming from factories, stubble burning, vehicles and crackers during festivals. Even after several attempts by the government to regulate the practice of stubble burning and bursting crackers, the situation is still the same this year.

The air quality of the national capital started to deteriorate after Diwali on November 6. As per reports, the AQI has reached poor quality in most parts of Central and North Delhi. As per Saturday morning that PM10 levels were recorded at 654 and 382 at Cannaught Place and Jantar Mantar.

AIIMS Delhi's director Randeep Guleria expressed concern over the matter. He said that the coronavirus lives in pollution for a long time. Guleria added that in places where there is more pollution, the situation of COVID-19 can become more serious. Due to air pollution, the lungs, patients suffering from asthma are more affected.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the Average Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR has been recorded at 462. In some areas, it has reached beyond 500. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is defined as 'good' between zero and 50, 'satisfactory' between 51 and 100, 'moderate' between 101 and 200, 'poor' between 201 and 300, 'very' between 301 and 400. Between 401 and 500 is considered 'severe'.