Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Study: Pollution kills more than 2.3 million people in India

Study: Pollution kills more than 2.3 million people in India

A new Lancet study has revealed that pollution led to more than 2.3 million premature deaths in India in 2019. 

According to the study, nearly 1.6 million deaths happened due to air pollution alone, and more than 500,000 deaths were caused by water pollution.


The Lancet Commission on pollution and health report blamed pollution for nine million - or about one in six - deaths globally, and India remained among the worst affected, the BBC reported.

It is estimated that bad air kills more than a million people in India every year.

The latest report said that there has been a decline in deaths due to types of pollution associated with extreme poverty such as household air pollution and water pollution. But deaths caused by industrial pollution, ambient air pollution and toxic chemical pollution have increased since 2015.

Globally, air pollution - both ambient and household - was responsible for 6.7 million deaths in 2019. Water pollution was responsible for 1.4 million deaths and lead pollution caused 900,000 premature deaths.

The study found that more than 90 per cent of pollution related deaths occurred in low-income and middle-income countries.

According to the Lancet report, losses due to traditional pollution were around 1 per cent of India's GDP, down from 3.2 per cent in 2020. Economic losses caused by modern forms of pollution - ambient, chemical and lead pollution - were around 1 per cent of GDP from 2000 to 2019. 

"India has developed instruments and regulatory powers to mitigate pollution sources but there is no centralised system to drive pollution control efforts and achieve substantial improvements," the study noted.

In 93 per cent of the country, the amount of pollution remains well above the WHO guidelines.

Last year, a US study said that more than 480 million people in northern India face the "most extreme levels of air pollution in the world". 

Data from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago suggested that residents in Delhi could see up to 10 years added to their lives if air pollution was reduced to meet the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m³.

In 2019, India's average particulate matter concentration was 70.3 µg/m³ - the highest in the world.

More For You

MIT-Anantha_Chandrakasan

Chandrakasan was selected from a group of internal candidates, MIT president Sally Kornbluth said in a statement announcing the appointment. (Photo credit: MIT)

MIT

Prof Chandrakasan becomes MIT's first Indian-American provost

PROF ANANTHA CHANDRAKASAN has been appointed as the new provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), becoming the first Indian-American to take on the role. Currently serving as MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer and dean of engineering, Chandrakasan will assume his new position on July 1.

Chandrakasan was selected from a group of internal candidates, MIT president Sally Kornbluth said in a statement announcing the appointment. She said he brings an exceptional record of innovation and leadership to the position.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India cancels London flight over aircraft unavailability

The flight was scheduled to depart on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo: Air India)

Air India cancels London flight over aircraft unavailability

AIR INDIA’s flight from Ahmedabad to London, operating under a new code following the June 12 crash, was cancelled on Tuesday (17) due to the unavailability of an aircraft. The airline cited airspace restrictions and precautionary checks as the cause.

The service, now listed as flight AI-159, replaced the earlier AI-171 flight which crashed shortly after take-off last Thursday (12), killing 270 people, including 29 on the ground. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 242 passengers and crew on board, with only one survivor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Conference highlights religious persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan

Conference at Westminster Highlights Religious Persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan

Conference highlights religious persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan

A high-profile conference on religious freedom in Bangladesh and Baluchistan was held at Portcullis House, Westminster, organised by the Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation (DIPF), hosted by Bob Blackman MP (Harrow East), and supported by APPG leaders on Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB), including Richard James Shannon MP and Julie Jones on 9 June 2025.

Chairing the conference, Mr Blackman condemned the ongoing persecution of minorities in both regions, describing the situation as dire and deteriorating.

Keep ReadingShow less
abortion protests

Protesters hold up placards during a march through central London on June 17, 2023, to call for decriminalisation of abortion. (Photo: Getty Images)

Parliament to vote on abortion law reform for Women

MPs are expected to vote on Tuesday on a proposed change to abortion laws in England and Wales that would prevent women from being prosecuted for ending their own pregnancies.

Under current law, women can face criminal charges for terminating a pregnancy beyond 24 weeks or without the approval of two doctors. The law still carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave

The spike in temperature is due to a period of high pressure currently centred over the UK

iStock

UK weather forecast says heatwave is coming and it could last for days

Britons are set to enjoy a burst of summer sunshine as forecasters predict a heatwave over the weekend, with temperatures expected to rise higher than those in parts of southern Europe. The Met Office anticipates that the UK could experience its hottest days of the year so far, with the south-east likely to be the warmest region.

Temperatures to reach 32°C in parts of the UK

According to the latest weather forecast heatwave predictions, temperatures could peak at 32°C on Saturday, 21 June, and Sunday, 22 June in areas including London and Kent. These highs would surpass conditions in traditional holiday destinations such as Portugal and southern France.

Keep ReadingShow less