Delhi once again gets status of most polluted national capital: Report

According to a report, Begusarai in Bihar has emerged as the most polluted urban area in the world, while Delhi remained the capital city with the worst air quality. According to the World Air Quality Report 2023 by Swiss organization IQAir, with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre, India will be the worst among 134 countries in 2023, followed by Bangladesh (79.9 micrograms per cubic metre) and Pakistan (73.7 micrograms per cubic metre). It had the third worst air quality.

Earlier in 2022, India was ranked as the eighth most polluted country with an average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic metre. With an average PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 micrograms per cubic metre, Begusarai has emerged as the most polluted urban area globally, whereas the city was not even named in the 2022 ranking.

At the same time, Delhi's PM2.5 level deteriorated from 89.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 to 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. The national capital has been ranked as the world's most polluted capital for four consecutive times since 2018.

It is estimated that 1.36 billion people in India experience PM2.5 concentrations that exceed the annual guideline level of 5 micrograms per cubic meter recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the report said. Additionally, 1.33 billion people, or 96 percent of the Indian population, experience PM2.5 levels seven times higher than WHO's annual PM2.5 guideline. This trend is visible in city-level data, with PM concentrations exceeding the annual average of 35 micrograms per cubic meter in more than 66 percent of the country's cities.

IQAir said the data used to create this report came from more than 30,000 regulated air quality monitoring stations and a global network of low-cost air quality sensors operated by research institutes, government bodies, universities and educational facilities, non-profit non-governmental organizations Was collected from distribution.

The 2022 World Air Quality Report included data from 7,323 locations in 131 countries and territories. In 2023, this number will increase to 7,812 locations in 134 countries and territories. According to WHO, air pollution is responsible for an estimated seven million premature deaths worldwide every year. Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution causes and worsens many health conditions, including, but not limited to, asthma, cancer, stroke, and lung disease.

Exposure to high levels of particulate matter due to air pollution can impair cognitive development in children, cause mental health problems and complicate existing diseases, including diabetes.