Air pollution kills millions of people every year, including more than 627,000 in India, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO puts 13 Indian cities in the world's 20 most polluted, with New Delhi deemed the filthiest, while pollution levels even in the countryside are often several times above what is deemed safe.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's first year in office was punctuated with promises of clear rivers, clean energy and toilets for all, but environmentalists worry his government is on an entirely different path: dismantling hard-won environmental laws in the name of boosting growth.
The World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5 every year by the United Nations for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment.
In this Wednesday, June 3, 2015 photo, an Indian laborer walks at a dump yard on the outskirts of Pushkar, in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, India. (AP Photo/ Deepak Sharma)
Tourists gather in front of Victoria Memorial Hall, a city icon, as it is illuminated with green light to spread awareness on the need for a greener environment on the eve of World Environment Day in Kolkata, India, Thursday, June 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
In this Monday, May 25, 2015, photo, a young garbage collector looks for valuables in the garbage dumped on the banks of Bellundur Lake, which is filled with froth from industrial pollution in Bangalore, India. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
A Kashmiri woman covers her face as she crosses a dusty road in Srinagar, India, Wednesday, May 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
A Delhi Traffic Police constable undergoes a spirometry test to help diagnose lung conditions at a medical camp conducted for traffic policemen with particular stress on respiratory problems, in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, May 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
