Six of the 10 most polluted cities in the world are in India
In News:
“Six of the 10 most polluted cities in the world are in India”
Context:
- Air quality data for 2024 released by IQAir, a Swiss-based air quality technology company, highlighted India’s continuing struggle with urban air pollution.
- Six out of the 10 most polluted cities globally are in India.
Key Findings:
- Byrnihat (Meghalaya) recorded the highest AQI in India at 128.2 µg/m³, followed by Delhi at 108.3 µg/m³.
- Despite some improvement, major cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai still exceed WHO PM2.5 guidelines by 5–7 times.
- Average PM2.5 in India declined by 7% in 2024 (50.6 µg/m³) compared to 2023 (54.4 µg/m³).
- Delhi’s annual average PM2.5 remained nearly constant at 91.6 µg/m³, slightly down from 92.7 µg/m³ in 2023.
- India’s global ranking improved from 3rd to 5th most polluted country due to policy measures and investments in air quality monitoring infrastructure.
- India operates more than half of the total air quality monitoring stations in Central and South Asia, but smaller cities and rural regions remain under-monitored.
Updated - March 12, 2025 04:18 pm | The Hindu
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