Pollution killed 1.7m people in India in 2019

NEW DELHI: Pollution accounted for nearly 1.7m premature deaths in India in 2019, or 18% of all deaths, according to a study on Wednesday that lays bare the human cost of the country’s toxic urban air.

A report published by the Lancet says pollution in India has led to an increase in diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, neonatal disorders and respiratory diseases, resulting in millions more deaths.

The data shows that pollution-related deaths in India are on the rise, increasing from 1.24m in 2017 to 1.67m in 2019.India’s capital, Delhi, often becomes the most polluted city in the world during its winter, as the city is engulfed in a thick smog and toxic air particles rising to as much as 500% higher than the level the World Health Organisation deems healthy. Though the issue resurfaces every year with increasing ferocity, India’s central and state governments have failed to introduce effective pollution controls.