Life expectancy in Vidarbha’s eight districts reduced by 4 years: Study
   Date :16-Sep-2022

Life expectancy 
 
 
 
By Kaushik Bhattacharya
The latest Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report 2022 based on analysis of data for the year 2020, reveals that Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) pollution has reduced the life expectancy in eight districts of Vidarbha by four years in two decades.
The data reveals that PM2.5 has increased by a whopping 99 per cent in Vidarbha in 22 years. The report indicates that if World Health Organisation (WHO) standard for PM2.5 pollution are met, life expectancy of people of Vidarbha can increase by average of 4 years. As per the report, Maharashtra is the 15th most polluted (in terms of PM2.5) state in India, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 38.7 µg/m3 in 2020. If Maharashtra were to reduce its 2020 average PM2.5 concentrations to the levels as prescribed by the WHO (5 µg/m3) , it would end up adding 3.3 years to the life of its average citizen.
According to the report, out of ten most polluted districts of Maharashtra, eight are in Vidarbha including Bhandara, Gondia, Nagpur, Wardha, Akola, Amravati, Buldhana and Yavatmal. In the top 10 list Jalgaon and Dhule districts are also there. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, where nearly a quarter of the global population lives, remain among the top five most polluted countries in the world. South Asia bears more than half of the global health burden from PM2.5 Pollution. All of India’s 1.3 billion people live in areas that exceed the WHO PM 2.5 Guideline. Particulate pollution is the greatest threat to human health in India, reducing life expectancy by 5 years.
As far as air pollution is concerned, the situation has worsened in 22-year span from 1998 to 2020. As per the data, in 1998, average PM pollution in Vidarbha was 24.2 µg/m3. In 2020, it has increased to a whopping 47.9 µg/m3, which is almost 99 per cent increase.
As per the given WHO standard of 10 µg/m3, average PM pollution in Vidarbha is more than four times. In case of all the districts of Vidarbha, there has been increase in this span of 20 years.
Surprisingly, the highest increase in PM pollution has been witnessed in Bhandara district, followed by Gondia, and Nagpur. The increasing air pollution is a cause of concern. Vidarbha has 11 districts and eight of them figure in top 10 most polluted areas in the State. As far as Nagpur district is concerned, the life expectancy has decreased 4.65 years.