Afghanistan Loses Thousands Of Lives Annually To 'Silent Killer' Air Pollution - Official

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th June, 2019) At least 5,000 people die annually in Afghanistan from diseases caused by air pollution, the nation's environmental protection chief said Sunday.

"The entire relevant government departments must get together to help solve the pollution that is a silent killer of Afghans. It is killing almost 5,000 Afghan annually," Shah Zaman Maiwandi said.

The figure dwarfs 3,800 war-related civilian deaths that the United Nations reported for last year.

Urban dwellers, who make up over a fifth of Afghanistan's 36 million population, are the most affected, according to the national environmental protection agency.

Afghans rely mostly on coal and fuel in their daily life, which are two of the Primary pollutants. The agency said it does not have many options for curbing emissions but banning low-quality fuel is what it plans to do.