A new report by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) claims that if India achieves its target of reducing pollution by 40 percent under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) by 2026, residents of 130 cities could live an average of two years longer. The analysis highlights that reducing particulate pollution to 2017 levels would significantly improve life expectancy.
Launched in 2019, NCAP initially aimed to reduce air pollution by 20–30 percent by 2024, compared to 2017 levels. However, in 2022, the government revised the goal, setting a 40 percent reduction by 2026. So far, progress has been assessed mainly on PM10 levels.
According to EPIC, every one of India’s 1.4 billion people lives in areas where pollution exceeds World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Even residents of the country’s cleanest regions could gain 9.4 extra months of life if WHO limits were enforced.
The report also noted that PM2.5 levels in 2023 were higher than in 2022 and remained eight times above WHO guidelines. WHO recommends annual limits of 5 micrograms per cubic meter for PM2.5 and 15 for PM10, whereas India’s standards are more lenient at 40 and 60 micrograms, respectively. If India meets WHO levels, the average life expectancy of its citizens could increase by up to 3.5 years.
