Environmental Degradation Costs India Rs 3.75L Crore a Year: WB Report

Bangalore: Air pollution which is one of the major environmental and social issues in India is mainly caused due to the extensive methods of using fuel wood, biomass burning, fuel adulteration, vehicle emission and traffic congestion. This form of pollution not only harms the health and surroundings of the masses but also affects the annual cost of environmental degradation that comes up to Rs 3.75 lakh crores, which is 5.7 percent of India’s GDP, said the study released by World Bank, reported Dipak Kumar Dash for TOI.

The latest World Bank report stated that 1.09 lakh lives of adults and over 7000 children below 5 years of age in urban areas are victims of outdoor air pollution every year as the cities are overflowing with vehicles from all sides and are left with just little open space to enjoy the nature to its fullest.

The urban development and growth centres have created an unpleasant environment and asserted that outdoor and indoor air pollution have the maximum share of this annual burden on India's economy as per the assessment carried out by the Union government.

Also Read: Air Pollution Kills Over Two Million People Each Year