Dhaka, Dec. 18 -- As many as one million people die annually in South Asia, including in Bangladesh, due to air pollution, while clean air can improve the lives of nearly one billion people across the region, according to a recent report of the World Bank.

The report said air pollution across the parts of South Asia known as the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills (IGP-HF) is causing major losses in health and productivity and remains one of the region's most severe development challenges.

Economic losses are estimated at close to 10 per cent of regional GDP annually.

The report titled "A Breath of Change: Solutions for Cleaner Air in the Indo-Gangetic Plains and Himalayan Foothills", released Monday by the World Bank, found t...