Environment Ministry in Denial Mode on Deaths Due to Pollution

Thousands of Indian’s die each day due to pollution, reports say. Is the government taking our lungs seriously?

(Image: Harsh Sahani/The Quint)

Is our government taking pollution seriously? Studies state that thousands of adults and children succumb to pollution-related afflictions every day.

(Infographic: Harsh Sahani/The Quint)

A 2016 WHO report, titled Ambient Air Pollution, states that pollution killed 8 lakh people in the South East Asian region in 2012 – 77 percent of these deaths were reported in India.

Also read: India Spends Just 0.3% of Its Environment Budget on Research: RTI

Airpocalypse, a study published by Greenpeace in 2017, states that air pollution claimed approximately 12 lakh lives in India in 2015. Another 2017 study by the US-based Health Effects, says that India has the world’s second-highest number of deaths due to air pollution.

Pollution caused an estimated 42 lakh deaths around the world in 2015. Eleven lakh deaths were from India alone. 

When confronted with these studies, the government says that they are aware of these reports, but will only rely on studies from Indian institutions.

Where does this leave us? Are we expected to wait until the government carries out studies of its own? How long will this denial continue?