Talking Point: Air pollution wreaks havoc on economy, productivity

World Health Organisation (WHO) has been regularly reporting on the deteriorating air quality levels in India which has led to a growing awareness about the issue in the country. A recently published WHO report says India is home to half of the world’s 20 most polluted cities. The government is already paying attention to outdoor air pollution problems in India. However, it is crucial to start talking more about indoor air pollution because this is where we spend 90 pc of our time. Indoor air pollution can be a more serious and potentially fatal problem as it can be ten to hundred times more polluted than the air outside. 

Premature deaths and cost of air pollution on Indian economy 

India sees about a million premature deaths per year linked to air pollution. In fact, it is the fourth leading risk factor for premature deaths worldwide. An estimated 55 lakh lives were lost in 2013 to diseases associated with outdoor and inhouse air pollution. Consequently, the economic burden it has is tremendous. 

In a major study of the economic costs of indoor and outdoor pollution, the World Bank found that premature deaths due to air pollution in 2013 cost the Indian economy about Rs 3.7 lakh crore in Lost Labour Income and about Rs 34 lakh crore in Welfare Losses. These losses due to air pollution together made up around 8 pc of India’s gross domestic product (GDP). In past three years, India’s GDP growth was around 7 pc per year, so air pollution alone might be negatively impacting the Indian economy’s growth efforts. 

Lastly for the year 2017, it is a responsibility of the government and every individual to work towards improving our environment. Protecting ourselves from indoor air pollution would lead to significant benefits to the country’s socio-economic well-being.