Indian cities victim of 'acute' respiratory problems: WHO

Cities in India and China - now drowned in a sea of automobiles - are experiencing maximum health issues, like acute as well as chronic respiratory problems and lung cancers, caused by air pollution, a UN body has said.

The rising population of SUVs (sports utility vehicles), cars and two-wheelers in Indian cities where it is a status symbol for middle classes to posses the latest automobiles are having a deathly impact on people, the global body said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that around 1.34 million premature deaths from respiratory diseases and cancers were caused due to polluted air in 2008.

Rapidly industrialising cities in China, India, and other growing developing countries are the epi-centre for the lung diseases.

"If the WHO guidelines had been universally met, an estimated 1.09 million deaths could have been prevented in 2008," said Maria Neira, WHO Director for Public Health and Environment.

In its latest report, data on air quality data was complied from 1,100 cities across 91 countries. It did not rank cities according to the highest pollution.

The report said categorically that countries which are experiencing maximum growth and industrialisation, particularly China and India, are experiencing the maximum health problems due to polluted air.

"Yes, cities in India and China are facing air pollution that is threatening public health," said Neira. "Lack of clean air is causing 'acute' as well as 'chronic' respiratory problems in these countries," she said, arguing that these countries would experience highest number of heart, lung, cancer and asthma and acute lower respiratory infections if the air quality is not improved on a war footing.