WHO air-quality norms can help Indians live 4 yrs, Delhiites 9 yrs, more

However, govt denied links between air pollution and premature deaths

If India reduced its air pollution to comply with the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) air quality standards, its people could live about four years longer on average, the Air Quality-Life Index (AQLI) released today by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, shows.

Among India’s most populous cities, the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi would make the most impressive gains in average life expectancy (9 years), followed by Agra (8.1 years) and Bareilly (7.8 years).

The index estimates the number of years a country could add to its