DNA Special: Pollution, a virus more dangerous than Covid-19

Written By DNA Web Team | Updated: May 19, 2022, 06:06 AM IST

A new report has revealed that in the year 2019, 24 lakh people died in India due to different types of pollution.

Recently, there was a report of the World Health Organization (WHO), in which it claimed that there were 47 lakh deaths due to Covid-19 in India. The Indian government had then taken strong exception to the WHO report and said that there have been 5.5 lakh deaths due to Covid-19 in India in the last two years.

The great thing is that when these different figures came about of the deaths due to Covid-19, everyone expressed concern. But now that a new report has revealed that in the year 2019, 24 lakh people died in India due to different types of pollution, no one is talking about this. Even when this figure is almost five times more than those who died of Covid-19. You can also call it a pollution virus like the coronavirus, which is killing millions of people every year.

The highest number of deaths were caused by air pollution

According to this report released by the famous medical journal, The Lancet, in the year 2019, 9 million people died from different types of pollution all over the world. Of these, the highest number of 2.4 million deaths were reported in India, while the second number was in China at 2.2 million.

Imagine, there were five and a half lakh deaths from Covid in two years. Air pollution alone killed many more million people in India in a year. Despite this, the concern that is shown in our country about the coronavirus, that concern is not shown about this virus of pollution.

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This is a virus that does not even have a vaccine

The worrying thing is that earlier, the level of air pollution was dangerous only in the winter season. But in a new report, it has come to light that now air pollution in most of the cities of India remains throughout the year. Between April 1 and April 6, the air quality index in Delhi was as much as it is in the months of November and December.

So, there's only one thing that can protect you from this new virus. And that's your mask. Maybe in the future, Covid-19 will be completely gone but you will have to wear these masks to avoid pollution even after that.