As per the report by State of Global Air 2017 report, released in Boston on Tuesday, over 2.54 lakh deaths were reported in 2015 due to exposure to ozone and its impact on chronic lung disease.
What is more distressing is the fact that India accounts for the largest number of premature deaths due to ozone pollution. In fact, this death toll is 13 times higher than the toll in Bangladesh and 21 times higher than in Pakistan.
India’s death toll is second to China's and both the countries together amount to more than half of the world's deaths from pollution.
This has further deepened India’s pollution problem. Last year, after Diwali, Delhi-NCR woke up to thick brown cover of pollution that refused to lift for days.
“India can't afford to remain complacent or in denial. With so many people dying early and falling ill due to particulate and ozone pollution, it is a state of health emergency. This demands nationwide intervention to ensure stringent mitigation and a roadmap to meet clean air standards”, said Anumita Roychowdhury of the Centre for Science and Environment.
India's rapid industrialisation, excessive use of coal for energy, and growing population are some of the prime contributors in the pollution.
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