By Jasjeev Gandhiok
India has the second-worst air quality in the world that is cutting short the average life expectancy of Indians by 5.2 years – behind only 6.2 years of Bangladesh residents – with particulate pollution having risen 42% since 1998, says a new analysis.
According to the study by University of Chicago through its Air Quality Life Index which took the 2018 pollution levels as base, the average Delhiite is losing 9.4 years of life. That’s the human cost of the city failing to meet the WHO’s air quality norm. By even meeting the national standard, Delhiites will gain 6.5 years.