The Congress on Sunday said that India’s worsening air pollution crisis is not just a respiratory issue but a “full-blown assault” on the country’s brains and bodies.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said air pollution has become a “public health catastrophe and a national security threat” that endangers India’s society, healthcare system, and future workforce.
Citing the State of Global Air 2025 report, Ramesh noted that nearly 2 million deaths in India in 2023 were linked to air pollution, a 43 per cent rise since 2000. He said nearly 90 per cent of these deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes, and even dementia.
India records 186 air-pollution-related deaths per 100,000 people, more than ten times the rate in high-income nations, he said.
Air pollution contributes to about 70 per cent of COPD deaths, 33 per cent of lung cancer deaths, 25 per cent of heart-disease deaths, and 20 per cent of diabetes deaths in the country.
Ramesh also warned that prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is now linked to brain damage and cognitive decline, with nearly 626,000 dementia deaths globally in 2023 tied to air pollution.
“Our current PM2.5 standard is eight times higher than the WHO’s annual exposure guideline and four times higher for 24-hour exposure,” Ramesh said on X (formerly Twitter).
“Despite the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) launched in 2017, PM2.5 levels continue to rise, and every single Indian now lives in areas exceeding WHO limits.”
The former environment minister demanded that the government radically revise the NCAP and update the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which were last revised in November 2009.
“India’s air pollution crisis is now a war on public health and productivity,” he said. “The time for half-measures is over.”
(With inputs from PTI)