An estimated 18 million healthy life years are lost every year due to pollution related diseases. And in Delhi alone, every third child’s lungs are impaired because of it. We’re ruining the lives of our future generation.Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Centre for Science and Environment
The fifth biggest killer in the country continues to be at large and we don’t seem to be too fazed by it. In 2016, India’s air quality over the Diwali weekend was among the world’s worst. The pollution from firecrackers, coupled with crop burning and already existing factors like dust from construction, vehicles and factories accentuated the problem tenfold.
With the winter months coming in and Diwali being around the corner, we’re likely to witness the familiar smog, maybe not as severe as last year, but deadly nonetheless.