India Ranks 3rd Globally in Air Quality; Delhi Named Most Polluted Capital
According to the 2023 World Air Quality Report by IQAir, India ranked third globally for air quality among 134 countries, with Delhi's pollution levels notably high.
A new report has revealed that Begusarai in Bihar is now the world’s most polluted urban area, with Delhi being the capital with the worst air quality. The 2023 World Air Quality Report by the Swiss group IQAir places India as the third worst country for air pollution, behind Bangladesh and Pakistan. Last year, India's air quality ranking was in eighth position.
Begusarai has an alarming level of pollution, with PM2.5 levels reaching 118.9 micrograms per cubic metre. Delhi also saw its air quality deteriorate, making it the World's most polluted capital for the fourth year in a row.
The Delhi air pollution reports show that air pollution is a major problem in Asia, as nearly all of the top 100 most polluted cities are located there. This is a clear sign of how the climate crisis is affecting air quality and poses a serious health risk to billions.
Out of the cities analysed, 83 are in India, with pollution levels more than ten times higher than what the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends. The WHO says safe air should have PM2.5 levels at or below 5 micrograms per cubic metre, but only 9% of the over 7,800 cities studied worldwide meet this standard. The findings highlight the significant relationship between climate change and air quality in India.
In India, over 1.36 billion people breathe air that’s much dirtier than the WHO recommends, with 96% of Indians living in areas where the air is seven times more polluted than it should be. The detrimental impact of pollution on public health is evident.
The data for this report came from over 30,000 air monitoring stations across the globe, involving government agencies, researchers, and volunteers. The number of locations studied grew from 7,323 in 131 countries in 2022 to 7,812 in 134 countries in 2023.
Air pollution is a severe health hazard, linked to one in nine deaths worldwide. It can cause diseases like asthma, cancer, and stroke, harm children’s brain development, and worsen conditions like diabetes.
