Well, the festive season has already come to an end, but Delhi air pollution remains the same. Yes, according to a new Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) released by a U.S. university reveals that the toxic air of Delhi is not only harmful to your health but also taking away more than 10 years from the life of an average citizen of Delhi who is exposed to it for a sustained period.

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The Air Quality Life Index was developed by Michael Greenstone, Milton Friedman Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, and his team at the university’s Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) measures the effect of air quality on life expectancy and levels of Delhi air pollution.

In a statement, Ken Lee, executive director of EPIC India, states that “The Air Quality Life Index is an index that translates particulate Delhi air pollution into its impact on life expectancy. In Delhi, pollution concentrations in 2016 averaged 113 micrograms per cubic meter. Based on the research, life expectancy would be more than 10 years longer for people in Delhi if the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards had been met.“

Image Source: TOI

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the sky of Delhi will be mainly clear with shallow fog and mist in the morning and haze thereafter.

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Whereas, the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), recorded the overall poor air quality for Delhi in many parts of the national capital.

In 1998, Delhi and the north Indian states such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Bihar already suffered from particulate concentrations that exceeded World Health Organization (WHO) safe levels by 3 to 6 factors, and reduced life expectancy for residents thereby between 3 and 5 years.

Over the ensuing two decades, pollution rate in this region increased more than 10 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit in the case of Uttar Pradesh, where the levels of air pollution now reduce life expectancy by 8 to 9 years.

Following in 2016, the added life-years from compliance with the World Health Organization’s guideline would average life expectancy at birth between 60-70 years – a larger gain than from reducing the poor sanitation and unsafe water, the index reveals.

The Air Quality Life Index is rooted in recent research, quantifies the causal relationship between air pollution, life expectancy, and long-term human exposure. The index combines this research with global particulate measurements into the true cost of particulate pollution in communities across the world.

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