A new report on global air quality has revealed a concerning reality for India, as 13 of the world’s top 20 most polluted cities are within its borders. According to the World Air Quality Report 2024 by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir, Byrnihat in Assam has been ranked as the most polluted city in the world, surpassing Delhi, which remains the most polluted capital city globally.
Despite improvements, India ranked fifth in the world for air pollution in 2024, a slight improvement from its third-place ranking in 2023. The country recorded a 7% decline in PM2.5 levels, with an average concentration of 50.6 micrograms per cubic metre, down from 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023. However, six of the world’s ten most polluted cities are still in India.
Delhi continued to experience severe pollution, with an annual PM2.5 concentration of 91.6 micrograms per cubic metre, almost unchanged from 92.7 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023.
India’s Most Polluted Cities
The 13 Indian cities among the world’s top 20 most polluted are:
- Byrnihat (Assam)
- Delhi
- Mullanpur (Punjab)
- Faridabad
- Loni
- New Delhi
- Gurugram
- Ganganagar
- Greater Noida
- Bhiwadi
- Muzaffarnagar
- Hanumangarh
- Noida
While India ranks fifth in global air pollution, the top four countries are Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Health Risks & Expert Concerns
Air pollution remains a major health crisis in India, reducing average life expectancy by an estimated 5.2 years. According to a Lancet Planetary Health study, 1.5 million deaths in India every year from 2009 to 2019 were potentially linked to long-term PM2.5 exposure.
Former WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan emphasized the urgent need for action, despite progress in data collection. She advocated for increased subsidies on LPG cylinders to reduce reliance on biomass, stricter emission laws, and better enforcement of pollution control measures in industries and construction.
Swaminathan also called for expanded public transport, stricter vehicle emission laws, and a combination of incentives and penalties to combat pollution effectively.
