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Begusarai in Bihar has been found to be the most polluted city in the world, according to the World Air Quality Report 2023 released by Switzerland- based IQAir.Also, India ranks third behind Bangladesh and Pakistan among five most polluted countries in the list of 134 countries.
India was ranked the eighth most polluted country in the 2022 report in a list of 131 countries.
83 from India
According to the report, out of 100 top polluted places, 83 are from India. Guwahati is at the second place while Delhi is at the third place and Mullanpur (Punjab) the fourth. Lahore completes the top five list followed by New Delhi.India’s PM2.5 of 54.4 µg/m3 is more than 10 times higher than the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline, the report pointed out. Further, climate conditions and trans-boundary haze were major factors in South-East Asia, where PM2.5 concentrations rose in nearly every country. The region of Central & South Asia was home to the top ten most polluted cities in the world, the report said.
According to the firm, the report summarises PM2.5 air quality data from 7,812 cities spanning 134 countries, regions, and territories. The data utilised to create this report was aggregated from more than 30,000 air quality monitoring stations operated by research institutions, governmental bodies, universities and educational facilities, non-profit organisations, private companies, and citizen scientists. I
Seven countries met the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline (annual average of 5 µg/m3or less): Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand. It may be noted PM2.5 data is reported in units of micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3) and incorporates the latest World Health Organization (WHO) annual PM2.5 guideline and interim targets for data visualisation and risk communication.
Commenting on the report, Frank Hammes, Global CEO of IQAir, said: “A clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a universal human right. In many parts of the world the lack of air quality data delays decisive action and perpetuates unnecessary human suffering. Air quality data saves lives. Where air quality is reported, action is taken, and air quality improves.”
According to the report, while the number of countries and regions with air quality monitoring has steadily increased over the past six years, there remain significant gaps in government-operated regulatory instrumentation in many parts of the world.
Health catastrophe
“Low-cost air quality monitors, sponsored and hosted by citizen scientists, researchers, community advocates, and local organisations, have proven to be valuable tools to reduce gaps in air monitoring networks across the world,” it said.
Aidan Farrow, Sr. Air Quality Scientist, Greenpeace International felt that in 2023, air pollution remained a global health catastrophe. “This global data set provides an important reminder of the resulting injustices and the need to implement the many solutions that exist to this problem,” he said.
The report highlighted that with only 9 per cent of globally reporting cities achieving the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline, much more work remains to be done to combat air pollution. While PM2.5 poses direct health risks, its implications extend beyond human health to complex environmental processes impacted by the Earth’s climate., it said.
Key findings
* French Polynesia region has the cleanest air, while Mauritius as a country has the cleanest air
* Bangladesh — with a PM2.5 of 79.9 µg/m3 which is 15 times higher than the WHO annual guideline — is the most polluted country
* Pakistan comes second with 73.7 µg/m3,, which is 14 times higher than the WHO annual guideline
* A total of 124 (92.5%) out of 134 countries and regions exceeded the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline value of 5 µg/m3
* Africa remains the most under-represented continent, with a third of the population still lacking access to air quality data
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