An environmental delegation comprising citizens and experts recently met with Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, at the Parliament House urging him to address the growing air pollution crisis in India.
During the meeting, the delegation presented a petition that calls for immediate joint parliamentary session on air pollution, along with setting up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to recognise air pollution as a national crisis and oversee reforms. The petition further aims to empower pollution control boards, allocate national healthcare fund along with other demands to tackle air pollution.
The petition, shared on X by environmentalist Vimlendu Jha, states that air pollution in Delhi reduces life expectancy by up to 12 years. The petition attributes this figure to a 2024 study by the University of Chicago. In the same petition, the delegation claims that 1.7 million deaths annually in India are linked to air pollution, accounting for 18 percent of all deaths nationwide, citing health ministry data and studies by The Lancet and ICMR.
As per the petition, 30 per cent of children in Delhi suffer from lung damage or pulmonary diseases, underscoring the urgent need for preventive measures.
The delegation also made a collective appeal to address the economic costs of air pollution. As per the petition, air pollution leads to economic losses of Rs 7 lakh crore annually, equivalent to 3 percent of India’s GDP and twice the public health expenditure.
During the meeting at the Parliament House, Rahul Gandhi assured the delegation that he would raise the issue of air pollution in Parliament and advocate for immediate action on their demands.
The delegation included renowned medical expert Dr. Sanjeev Bagai, environmentalists Jai Dhar Gupta, Vimlendu Jha and Bhavreen Khandari, the co-founder of Warrior Moms—a group dedicated to fighting environmental issues affecting children's health.
