Cong: India’s air pollution crisis now full-blown assault on brains, bodies

New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday said India’s air pollution crisis is no longer just a respiratory issue but a full-blown assault on our brains and bodies, as it called for radically revising the National Clean Air Programme and urgently updating the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh asserted that air pollution is a public health catastrophe and a national security threat to our society, healthcare system, and future workforce.

“India’s air pollution crisis is no longer just a respiratory issue. It’s now a full-blown assault on our brains and bodies,” the former environment minister said on X.

In 2023, approximately 2 million deaths in India were linked to air pollution - a 43 per cent jump since 2000, Ramesh pointed out.

Nearly 9 in 10 of these deaths were attributed to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and now even dementia, he said

India records around 186 air-pollution deaths per 100,000 people, over 10 times the rate in high-income countries (17/100,000), Ramesh said.

He further pointed out that air pollution accounts for about 70 per cent of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) deaths, about 33 per cent of lung cancer deaths, about 25 per cent of heart-disease deaths, and about 20 per cent of diabetes deaths in India.