India: PM2.5 Air Pollution In New Delhi Killed 54,000 People In 2020

Air pollution in the Indian capital, New Delhi, killed 54,000 people last year, the highest death toll in any major city in the world.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Swiss firm IQAir have discovered PM2.5 toxic particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter and can cause deadly diseases including cancer and heart disease.

According to research, last year they showed people a higher risk of coronavirus infection.

Particles were recorded in Delhi in November at PM2.5 levels, 30 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) limit.

The number of deaths last year was not compared with the number of deaths in 2019.

However, according to The Lancet, a total of 1.67 million people died in India in 2019 due to air pollution.

Avinash Chanchal, who runs Greenpeace India’s climate campaign, said in the report that polluted air increases the risk of death due to cancer and stroke.

He added that polluted air increases the rate of asthma and exacerbates the symptoms of COD-19.

Pollution in Delhi was almost eliminated early last year when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to control the coronavirus, but in late August the government began lifting restrictions.

The report said that in 2020, Delhi’s average annual reading of 2.5 PM is almost six times higher than the WHO limit.

According to the report, in 2020, about 25,000 people died prematurely in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, due to pollution.

Citing major cities around the world, including India, the report said there was a need to accelerate the introduction of renewable energy.

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