When discussing pollution and Delhi's name doesn't come up, it seems almost impossible. A recent report on global pollution has identified Delhi as the capital with the worst air quality.
However, when it comes to the most polluted city in the world, Bihar's Begusarai has emerged at the forefront.
According to the World Air Quality Report 2023 by the Swiss organization IQAir, India ranked third among 134 countries with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, following Bangladesh (79.9 micrograms per cubic meter) and Pakistan (73.7 micrograms per cubic meter).
In 2022, India was ranked as the eighth most polluted country with an average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic meter. This indicates a worsening of pollution levels in the country.
With an average PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 micrograms per cubic meter, Begusarai has emerged as the most polluted city globally. It's noteworthy that this city was not even mentioned in the rankings for 2022.
Delhi, on the other hand, saw its PM2.5 levels worsen from 89.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 to 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.
The national capital has now received the dubious distinction of being the world's most polluted capital for the fourth consecutive time since 2018.
The report states that an estimated 1.36 billion people in India are experiencing PM2.5 concentrations higher than the annual guideline level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
Additionally, 1.33 billion people, accounting for 96 per cent of the Indian population, are experiencing PM2.5 levels seven times higher than the WHO's annual PM2.5 guideline.
Furthermore, in more than 66 per cent of cities in the country, the annual average PM2.5 concentration exceeds 35 micrograms per cubic meter.
The report included data from 7,323 locations across 131 countries, regions, and territories in the 2022 World Air Quality Report. In 2023, this number increased to 7,812 locations across 134 countries, regions, and territories.
It is estimated that one out of every nine deaths worldwide is attributable to air pollution. Air pollution poses the greatest environmental risk to human health.
According to the WHO, air pollution is responsible for an estimated seven million premature deaths worldwide each year.
