Air pollution killed nearly 1.7 million people in India in 2019, accounting for an alarming 17.8% of all deaths in the country in the year, according to a study conducted by the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiatives.
The study, a collaborative effort involving over 300 researchers from institutions like ICMR, Public Health Foundation of India, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and others. The findings show the per capita economic loss due to air pollution was generally higher in states with high per capita GDP.
“This scientific paper presents the latest evidence on air pollution in India, translating health loss to economic impact. The paper provides a robust assessment of the current situation in each state, and highlights that augmenting the existing air pollution control efforts based on the specific situation of each state would be useful. Air pollution and its impact is not a matter for the health sector alone, and the solutions lie in a multi-sectoral approach,” Niti Aayog member-health Dr VK Paul said.
The economic loss due to premature deaths and illness attributable to air pollution as a percentage of state GDP was 1.08% in Delhi. The highest loss to GDP was recorded by Uttar Pradesh at nearly 2.6% followed by Bihar at 1.9% and Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan 1.7% each.
Overall, deaths and diseases caused by air pollution are linked to loss of almost 1.4% of India’s GDP, the study shows. While 40% of the disease burden due to air pollution is from lung diseases, the remaining 60% is from ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and neonatal deaths related to pre-term birth.
PHFI’s Lalit Dandona, who is also director of the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative, said, “Improved methods in this paper have led to a higher estimate of the impact of air pollution on health and disease in India than previously estimated. The health and economic impact of air pollution is highest in the less developed states of India, an inequity that should be addressed.”
He added, “India has many initiatives to reduce air pollution, which can benefit further from the state-specific insights provided in this paper. Investing further in air pollution control will more than return that investment in terms of better health and economic development in India.”
