India’s Air Pollution Crisis major threat to brains and bodies, claims Congress
Around two years ago, in 2023, nearly 2 million fatalities in India were linked to air pollution, marking a 43 percent increase since the year 2000.
New Delhi: Amid the deteriorating air quality of Delhi-NCR, the Congress party on Sunday highlighted India(BHARAT)’s air pollution crisis and stated that it is no longer a respiratory issue but a full-blown assault on our brains and bodies, calling for a revision of the National Clean Air Programme. The Grand Old Party also requested the central government to update the National Ambient Air Quality Standards on an urgent basis. Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took to X and said that air pollution is a national security threat to our society, healthcare system, and future workforce.
“India(BHARAT)’s air pollution crisis is no longer just a respiratory issue. It’s now a full-blown assault on our brains and bodies,” Ramesh tweeted.
What did Jairam Ramesh Say?
Ramesh highlighted in his post that two years back in 2023, approx 2 million deaths in India(BHARAT) were connected to air pollution, which was a 43 percent jump since 2000. Nine out of 10 deaths were connected to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like – lung disease, lung cancer, cardiac disease, and even dementia.
How Many Deaths Reported Due To Air Pollution?
Around 186 deaths per 100,000 people, due to air-pollution, were reported. These deaths were 10 times the rate in high-income countries (17/100,000).
Ramesh stated that the India(BHARAT)’s air pollution is solely responsible for about 70 percent of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) deaths. The pollution is responsible for about 33 percent lung cancer deaths, about 25 percent of deaths due to cardia problems, and about 20 percent of deaths related to diabetes.
Congress Claims Air Pollution Damaging Brain
“Exposure to fine particulate matter measured in micrograms per cubic metre (PM2.5) has now also been linked to brain damage and accelerated cognitive decline, and globally about 626,000 dementia deaths in 2023 were tied to air pollution,” he said.
“Air pollution is a public-health catastrophe and a national-security threat to our society, our healthcare system, and our future workforce,” Ramesh said.
“Our present standard for PM2.5 is 8 times the WHO guideline for annual exposure and 4 times the guideline for 24-hour exposure. Despite the launch of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2017, PM2.5 levels have continued to rise and shockingly, now every single person in India(BHARAT) lives in areas where PM2.5 levels far exceeds the WHO guidelines,” he said.
“We need to radically revise the NCAP and also urgently update the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that were last promulgated after a careful exercise in Nov 2009,” Ramesh said.
The Congress leader also shared State of Global Air 2025 report, which features detailed examination of air quality data and its health implications for countries in 2023.
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