Delhi lives up to name as pollution capital

New Delhi: A shocking pan-India report by Greenpeace reveals that the national capital is the most polluted city. The report by the environmental NGO claims that Delhi tops the list of 20 most polluted cities in the country where 1.2 million deaths take place every year due to air pollution.

It also claimed that none of the 168 cities it assessed complies with air quality standards prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to the report, 1.2 million deaths take place every year in India due to air pollution, which is only a “fraction less” than that caused by tobacco usage, and three per cent of the GDP is lost due to air pollution. Elaborating on Delhi, the report said that it has been long established as the pollution capital of the world by WHO, 2014 and most of the debate on air pollution in India is still centered around Delhi.

“Air pollution is a national crisis as almost none of the cities have bothered to keep air pollution in check. We are facing an apocalypse right now due to unbreathable air, deaths due to air pollution are only a fraction less than those due to use of tobacco,” said Sunil Dahiya, campaigner, Greenpeace India.