Delhi again got the title of the world’s most polluted capital city

March 21, 2024 12:56 pm

India’s New Delhi has been named the world’s most polluted capital city in 2023. For the fourth time in a row, the city has been named the world’s most polluted capital city.
This information has emerged in the report on global air quality by IQ Air, a Swiss-based company.

According to the report, a survey of 134 countries in 2023 also found that India ranks third in the list of countries with poor air quality in the world. This position is right after Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Since 2022, the air pollution situation has worsened in India. India was ranked eighth in the list of most polluted countries in 2022. But as the air quality continues to decline, this time the country has moved to the third place.

Air pollution is a serious problem in some Indian cities. Asthma, cancer, stroke and lung diseases are increasing due to air pollution.

Experts say rapid industrialization and poor enforcement of environmental laws are contributing to rising air pollution in India.

India has seen a lot of development in the last few decades. But in the absence of strong regulations in the industry, factories are not taking pollution-control measures. The level of pollution is also increasing due to rapid urbanization.

According to a report by IQ Air, the average level of PM 2.5 in India is 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter. Whereas the safe level of fine particulate matter or PM 2.5 in air is 12 to 15 micrograms per cubic meter.

This level of PM 2.5 is considered safe to breathe. And if this level is 35 per cubic meter then it is called unhealthy.

As such, the air quality of Delhi, the capital of India, is much worse than that of the entire country. The level of PM 2.5 in Delhi is 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter.

According to media BBC, India struggles to deal with bad air throughout the year. But the air becomes especially toxic in winter. Last year, the Indian government closed schools and colleges for days due to air pollution.

While Delhi tops the list of air pollution, Begusarai in Bihar and Guwahati in the North-East have been named the most polluted cities in the world. There are also Viwandi, Aspur, Patna, Dharuhera, Ghaziabad, Chapra, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Rohtak and Muzaffar Nagar.

Only seven countries in the world have managed to stay within the World Health Organization (WHO) annual guidelines for PM 2.5. These countries include Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Finland. Annual average PM2.5 in these countries is 5 micrograms per cubic meter or less.