Short Article

23-10-2023 | 18:34 PM

AIR QUALITY LIFE INDEX (AQLI) 2023

Annual update of the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) 2023 has been released.It is produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).

Key Highlights: 

• AQLI, converts air pollution concentrations & their impact on life expectancy.
• The AQLI was built to help solve some of these challenges by providing local information on air quality and its health consequences.

Major Highlights of the Report:

Short of benchmark: Not a single nation across the globe achieved the air quality benchmark set by the World Health Organization, which stands at 5 micrograms of pollutants per cubic meter of air (μg/m³) in the year 2021.

Indian Scenario:

• Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan—where 22.9 percent of the global population lives—are the top four most polluted countries in the world.
• The most polluted region of India is the Northern Plains, home to more than a half billion people and 38.9 percent of the country’s population.
• The region contains the capital city of Delhi, the most polluted megacity in the world with annual average particulate pollution of 126.5 µg/ m3 —more than 25 times the WHO guideline.
• The average Indian resident is to lose 5.3 years of life expectancy if the WHO guideline is not met.