NEW DELHI, NOV 24 – The toxic haze that envelops the plains of northern India is not only suffocating the lungs of the population and claiming the lives of millions, but also slowing down the country’s economic growth.
India’s capital, New Delhi, is regularly ranked among the most polluted cities in the world. Every winter, vehicle and factory smoke emissions combine with the burning of farms from the surrounding states, enveloping the city in a thick haze.
The haze this month contained more than 50 times the limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for fine particles – dangerous microscopic, cancer-causing particles known as PM2.5 pollutants, which can enter the bloodstream through the lungs.
Experts say that worsening air pollution in India is having a negative impact on its economy, with one study estimating the loss at around US$95 billion annually, or about three percent of the country’s GDP.
The actual cost to India of the pollution may be higher than estimated.
“The external cost is huge, and you can’t put a certain value on it,” said Vibhuti Garg of the Institute for Economic and Financial Analysis of Energy.
Bhargav Krishna of the Delhi-based research collective Sustainable Futures Collaborative said, “these costs add up at every level.”
“From the loss of working days, to the development of chronic diseases, the health costs associated with them, to premature deaths and the impact borne by the victim’s family,” Krishna told AFP. – AFP
