If you’re living in the capital city of Delhi in India, it is the onset of summer, yet the city already feels like a ‘gas chamber’. The coming months are expected to become even hotter.

The situation is no different in other cities across India which are grappling with air pollution and extreme heat wave conditions.

India dominates the list of the most polluted cities on earth. As per World Bank estimates, air pollution costs India the equivalent of 8.5 per cent of GDP. With increasing industrialisation and urbanisation, the problem will exacerbate even further leading to serious health problems, including respiratory illness, cancer, strokes, heart disease, premature deaths, infant mortality and reduced life expectancy.

It is a positive sign that political parties are giving importance to the environment. It is now time for these promises to convert into action on the ground.

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Air pollution is another pressing issue that the government needs to address on priority basis.

In January 2019, India launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to combat air pollution. Under the plan, the Government of India wants to achieve zero per cent to 30 per cent reduction of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration by 2024, with 2017 as the base year.

A study by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago estimates that an average person in India could live 1.3 years longer if India reduces particulate pollution by 25 per cent under the NCAP goal.

Continuing Reading at Economic Times…