New Delhi, Jun 25, 2022, Special Correspondent

(Image taken from Internet)

New Delhi, Jun 25: Tripura figures among the top polluted states in a notice issued by the National Human Rights Commission to the Union Environment Ministry over the impact of air pollution on the life expectancy of people.

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana too have been categorised among the top polluted states, officials said.

In a statement, the NHRC said it has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports quoting a survey that air pollution is a great threat to human health in India, reducing overall life expectancy by five years and 9.7 years for the people in Delhi.

The rights panel has observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, raise a serious issue of the right to life.

Accordingly, it has issued notice to the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, seeking a report within four weeks, including the status of the National Clean Air Programme, launched in 2019.

The commission said it expects the state authorities to take the issue with utmost sincerity in a time-bound manner, the statement said.

According to a media report on June 15, the residents in Delhi would gain 10 years of life expectancy on average if the annual average PM 2.5 levels did not exceed five microgrammes per cubic metre as per WHO standards.