For the first time in the 21st century, India has overtaken China's air pollution levels. In 2015, the average particulate matter exposure was higher in India than China, according to a new Greenpeace analysis of NASA's satellite data.

"China's strong measures to curb pollution have contributed to the biggest year-on-year air quality improvement on record, while in contrast, India's pollution levels continued a decade-long increase to reach the highest level on record," Greenpeace India said in its statement.

The NGO's National Air Quality Index ranking report indicated that 15 out of the 17 Indian cities it had studied had air pollution levels which were higher than the official limit. Greenpeace also said that China's adoption of a National Action Plan in 2013 had helped it in reducing air pollution by as much as 15% in 2015. It has suggested that the Indian government also implement similar time-bound plans to lower pollution levels.

In 2014, the World Health Organization had announced that Delhi was the most polluted city in the world, and had the highest level of PM 2.5 particles in the world. These tiny particles are linked to heart, lung and respiratory diseases.

Taking a leaf out of Beijing, the Delhi government experimented with car restrictions on its roads this January. However, environmental scientists argue that vehicular emissions constitute only a small part of overall pollution. They point to the need to curb other sources of pollution such as thermal power plants, the burning of wood and cow dung in winter, and the use of diesel vehicles.

Recent studies have indicated that more than half of the 5.5 million deaths linked to air pollution happened in India and China. While 1.4 million people died of related illnesses in India in 2013, the figure was 1.6 million for China.

http://mashable.com/2016/02/22/india-china-pollution-greenpeace/#NSRGVmnGZ8qw