India ranked third in the worst air quality and Delhi again turned out to be the most polluted capital in the world, raising concerns about aggravating air quality and its impacts on health.
The Swiss Organisation IQAir published a report, "The World Air Quality Report 2023", which shows the worsening air quality in India. The capital city is again labeled as the most polluted capital and Bihar's Begusarai is the most polluted city in the world.
As per the report, India ranked as the third most polluted country out of 134 countries last year. The report states that India with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter was only better than Bangladesh and Pakistan. Bangladesh is the top polluted country in the world with an average PM2.5 concentration of 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter Pakistan was ranked second with an average PM2.5 concentration of 73.7 micrograms per cubic meter and India ranked third.
Delhi is identified as the most polluted capital city in the world for the fourth consecutive time and its PM2.5 concentration was noted at 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023 indicating an increase in the level compared to 89.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022. Bihar's Begusarai which is absent in 2022 rankings, now turned out to be the most polluted city in the world with an average PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 micrograms per cubic meter.
In 2023, India ranked eighth in terms of air quality with an average annual PM2.5 level of 53.3 micrograms per cubic meter, but now it ranks third which indicates deterioration of air quality in India.
The distressing level of PM2.5 in India is exceeding the recommended annual guideline level of the World Health Organization (5 micrograms per cubic meter). This shows that 1.36 billion equivalent to 96 percent of people in India are exposed to this staggering PM2.5 level by exceeding the WHO recommended level.
The city-level data revealed that over 66 percent of Indian cities record an average annual PM2.5 concentration that exceeds the level of 35 micrograms per cubic meter. The comprehensive IQAir report is compiled using data from over 30,000 regulatory air quality monitoring stations and air quality sensors worldwide. The 2023 report also included 7,812 locations in 134 countries, regions, and territories indicating the concern over the air pollution globally.
Air pollution is a major issue all over the world. The recent report indicates the worst quality of air which is raising concerns over the impacts on health. This situation underlines the immediate necessity for measures to combat the staggering air pollution level and protect lives.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Lavanya Beeraboina)