No conclusive data to establish people in India dying due to air pollution: Env Ministry

There is "no conclusive data" to establish claims that people in India were dying due to air pollution, the Ministry of Environment told the Lok Sabha on Friday. In response to a query raised in the lower house of Parliament whether it's true that lakhs of people die every year due to air pollution, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said "Though air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases, there is no conclusive data available in the country to establish direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to air pollution."

Referring to its data based on National Air Quality Monitoring System (NAQMS), the ministry said sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels were within national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) in 50 cities during 2016-2018 while with respect to nitrogen oxide or NOX, 17 cities showed an increasing trend. According to the data, Delhi showed an increasing trend with respect to NO2 level and decrease in SO2 level between 2016-18. The PM 10 level were reduced from 278 in 2016 to 223 in 2018 while PM 2.5 level increased from 118 in 2016 to 121 in 2018.

The SO2 and NOX cause acid rain which can lead to respiratory illness, visibility impairment and aggravate heart and lung diseases. "Analysis of data revealed that SO2 levels were within the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). With respect to NO2, 14 cities showed an increasing trend, 14 cities showed a decreasing concentration, 14 cities showed a fluctuating trend and one city revealed steady concentration.

"With respect to PM10, 14 cities showed an increasing trend, 8 cities showed a decreasing concentration, 21 cities showed a fluctuating trend. With respect to PM2.5, trends are available for 15 cities and out of 15 cities, 5 cities showed an increasing trend, 4 cities showed a decreasing concentration, 6 cities showed a fluctuating trend," the ministry said in a written reply.