MUMBAI: Since 1998, the average annual particulate pollution in India has increased 15 per cent, cutting 5.9 years off the life of the average resident over those years.
Now, nearly 40 per cent of India’s population is exposed to pollution levels not seen in any other country, with 510 million residents of northern India on track to lose 8.5 years of life expectancy on an average, if pollution levels persist, reveals an air quality life index (AQLI) report released by Energy Policy Institute, University of Chicago (EPIC) this morning.