According to a new study, air pollution is more dangerous to health than smoking or drinking alcohol. Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India are among the countries most affected by air pollution and the average age is also decreasing in these countries. The report published by the Institute of Energy and Policy of the University of Chicago states that air pollution produced in various ways is harmful to human health. Polluted air not only affects the human body but also affects the ability to fight other diseases. According to the Air Quality Index report, there are many sources of pollution, such as smoke emitted from factories and vehicles. Besides, forest fire is also dangerous for human health.

Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and India are among the countries of the world, which are severely affected due to air pollution. Rafi Alam is a lawyer by profession and also consults for Air Quality Asia. He told DW Urdu that the life expectancy of people living in Pakistan is reduced by two years due to air pollution, “petrol used in vehicles, smoke from industrial factories, burning of crops. And our transport system is causing the increase in air pollution.”

Momi Salim is an environmental activist, who has been very active in activities to reduce environmental pollution in Pakistan for many years. Talking to DW, he said that 25% of air pollution is caused by transportation, garbage is also burnt here and Pakistan does not have any complete data to estimate the extent of air pollution in Pakistan. Being affected by pollution.

A smog commission was formed in Pakistan a few years ago to control smog in which people from private and public institutions were included. Momi says that the Smog Commission was created but it was of no use because it failed to implement international laws. According to Rafi, the petrol used in large quantities in Pakistan is not environmentally friendly at all. "Euro-five has been introduced by Pakistan, but it is available only at some stations in some cities."

If the air pollution potential hotspot monitoring level (PM2) in Bangladesh is brought down to 5 micrograms per cubic meter as per WHO guidelines, it is possible to add 6.8 years to the lives of residents. Director Air Quality According to Christa Hessen Kopf of the Energy Policy Institute of Chicago, the Indian city of New Delhi is also one of the most polluted cities in the world. Where the pollution ratio is 126.5 micrograms per cubic meter. Regarding China, he says that China has done a lot of work on air pollution and is still doing it. If China continues to work on reducing air pollution in the same way, the lives of people living there could increase by more than two years.

Experts say that if the WHO guidelines on pollution are followed, it is possible to increase the life of a person by about two and a half years due to a clean environment and air. Polluted air and environment cause lung and heart diseases and many times cancer. Experts also say that smoking has reduced the average life expectancy of people globally by 2.2 years. Many countries are suffering from many problems, but we are trying to help these countries in dealing with the problem of air pollution.