Lowering pollution will add a year to life of Maha residents

Nagpur: People living in the most toxic cities of Maharashtra can hope to extend their lives by a year if the state government meets the pollution reduction targets mentioned in the recently launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
This came to fore in the latest Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) study carried out by the Energy Policy Institute at University of Chicago (EPIC). Co-authored by Michael Greenstone and Qing (Claire) Fan, the study also states that the life expectancy of an average Indian can increase by about 1.3 years if the government meets the NCAP’s targets.

Under the programme launched by the Union environment ministry on January 10 this year, the policymakers have aimed at reducing particulate pollution by 20-30% in the next five years. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) identified 102 ‘non-attainment’ cities where air pollution is much worse than the country’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).

With 16, Maharashtra has the highest number of toxic cities in the country. Data used in the study shows that people living in these cities can gain about a year to their lives, if the levels of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 are reduced by 25%.

The study has considered 2016 as the base year. Pollution figures show that with an annual PM2.5 average of 75 micrograms per cubic meter (mpcm) in 2016, Aurangabad is the most polluted in the state. However, after a 25% reduction, PM2.5 levels can go down to 57 mpcm and life expectancy of citizens can increase by nearly two years.

In Mumbai and Navi Mumbai with a combined population of around 3.5 million, the 2016 annual average of PM2.5 was 40 mpcm. If the state government manages to meet the Centre’s target, people in the state capital can live a year longer. Similarly, Puneites will live longer if the annual PM2.5 levels are brought down to 32 from 43 mpcm.

Nagpur, which has more toxic air compared to Mumbai and Pune despite less population, is also expected to benefit from the national target. A 25% reduction will bring down the PM2.5 levels to 33 mpcm, thus adding 1.1 years to the lives of citizens. The study further analysed the impact of pollution reduction on life index for cities like Thane, Nashik, Jalgaon, Solapur, Sangli, Amravati, Latur, Chandrapur and Akola.

AQLI is a pollution index developed by Greenstone and translates particulate air pollution into its impact on life expectancy.