Delhi emerges as world's most polluted capital city again: Report

Begusarai, a metropolitan area in Bihar, has been declared as the most polluted metropolis worldwide, as per a recent report. The report further identified Delhi as the capital city with the poorest air quality. The World Air Quality Report 2023, released by the Swiss organization, IQAir, revealed that India, with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre, had the third worst air quality among 134 countries for the year 2023.

The countries with worse air quality were Bangladesh (79.9 micrograms per cubic metre) and Pakistan (73.7 micrograms per cubic metre). In the previous year, 2022, India held the eighth position on the list of most polluted countries, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic metre.

Begusarai has emerged as the most polluted metropolitan region worldwide, recording an average PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 micrograms per cubic metre. Interestingly, the city was not even featured in the 2022 rankings. Meanwhile, Delhi's PM2.5 levels escalated from 89.1 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022 to 92.7 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023. The national capital has been titled the most polluted capital city globally for four consecutive years beginning from 2018.

According to a report, it is estimated that about 1.36 billion individuals in India are exposed to PM2.5 concentrations surpassing the World Health Organisation's recommended annual guideline level of 5 micrograms per cubic metre. Furthermore, nearly 96 per cent of the Indian population, amounting to 1.33 billion people, experience PM2.5 levels that are more than seven times the WHO's annual PM2.5 guideline. This pattern is also seen in city-level data, as over 66 per cent of Indian cities report annual averages exceeding 35 micrograms per cubic metre.

IQAir, a global air quality information and tech company, recently compiled a report based on data from over 30,000 air quality monitoring stations and sensors worldwide. These stations and sensors are operated by a wide range of entities, including research institutes, government bodies, universities, educational facilities, NGOs, private firms, and citizen scientists.

The 2022 World Air Quality Report encompassed data from 7,323 locations spread across 131 countries, regions, and territories. In 2023, this expanded to include 7,812 locations in 134 countries, regions, and territories. The report underscores the severe impact of air pollution, which is responsible for one in every nine deaths worldwide, making it the top environmental risk to human health.

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