The latest report, released by the World Bank on Thursday, shows that India has the second highest number of deaths due to air pollution in 2013 after China.
In 2013, air pollution claimed 1.4 million lives in India, out of which 9.2 lakh people lost their because of the household air pollution and 5.9 lakh due to the ambient air pollution.
On the other hand, China, which is the world's most populous country, witnessed 1.6 million deaths, out of which 8.2 lakh people died due to the household air pollution and 9.1 lakh people because of the ambient air pollution.
The World Bank report shows that more than five million deaths worldwide were attributed to health conditions caused by air pollution. About 60 pc of them were in the world’s two most populous countries, China and India.
As per report released by the World Bank and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, premature deaths due to air pollution cost the global economy $5.1 trillion annually, hampering the economic development of the countries, particularly growing economies in Asia.
As per GDP is concerned, it was found that in 2013 that China lost nearly 10 per cent of its GDP, India over 7 per cent, and Sri Lanka and Cambodia about 8 per cent.
“The health risk posed by air pollution is the greatest in developing countries,” said the report. “In 2013 about 93 per cent of deaths and non-fatal illnesses attributed to air pollution worldwide occurred in these countries, where 90 pc of the population was exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution.”
Raising alarm about air pollution which is a major environmental health risk, World Bank report said, “It is the fourth leading cause of premature deaths worldwide after metabolic risks, dietary risks and tobacco smoke. Air pollution increases a person’s risk of contracting ailments such as lung cancer, stroke, heart disease and chronic bronchitis.”
