Biennium Report 2022–2023 Department of Healthier Populations and Noncommunicable Diseases (HPN)

Human health and well-being are intimately linked to the state of the environment. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), climate change, air pollution and exposure to hazardous chemicals are major causes of environment-related burden of disease across the world. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, almost a quarter of all deaths are attributable to the health impacts of environmental hazards. Air pollution is the leading cause of deaths from environmental risks and is a leading contributor to the NCD epidemic.