With 2.5 million deaths in 2015, India ranked highest in terms of lives lost due to pollution: Report

A recent report on pollution released by The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health claimed that nearly 2.5 million people in India died because of the massive air pollution in 2015. It is said to be the highest death toll in the world.

The total number of deaths worldwide due to pollution stood at around 9 million. The report also said the toll is three times more than tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS combined.

After India, China stands at the second spot. Around 1.8 million people died due to pollution in the country, the report further added.

Moreover, one in six people die due to pollution globally and most of them occur in developing countries like India.

"With globalisation, mining and manufacturing shifted to poorer countries, where environmental regulations and enforcement can be lax," NDTV quoted Karti Sandilya, one of the authors and an adviser to environmental group Pure Earth, as saying.

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In India, several measures are being taken to tackle this pollution menace.

Global green NGO Greenpeace on Wednesday welcomed the enforcement of a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to tackle air pollution in the national capital this Diwali.

“Shutting down Badarpur Thermal Power Plant is imperative to reduce air pollution levels in Delhi and NCR, but the other thermal power plants, located at least in 300- 500 km radius from Delhi, also need to be brought under action by the Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA), as mandated by the Supreme Court,” according to a statement.

“This is a great start but our actions need to be comprehensive in terms of tackling big pollution sources through a systematic approach,” said Sunil Dahiya, a Greenpeace campaigner for better air quality.

(With PTI inputs)

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