According to a new research released on Tuesday, Byrnihat in Assam is the most polluted city in India, ranking 13th out of the top 20 most polluted towns worldwide.
According to the Swiss air quality technology company IQAir’s World Air Quality Report 2024, Delhi continues to be the most polluted capital city in the world, and India dropped from third place in 2023 to fifth place in 2024. According to the research, PM2.5 concentrations in India decreased by 7% in 2024, averaging 50.6 micrograms per cubic meter, as opposed to 54.4 micrograms in 2023. However, India is home to six of the top ten most polluted cities in the world.
The average annual PM2.5 concentration in Delhi was 91.6 micrograms per cubic meter, which was almost unchanged from 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. The city had continuously high pollution levels. Byrnihat, Delhi, Mullanpur (Punjab), Faridabad, Loni, New Delhi, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh, and Noida are the 13 Indian cities that rank in the top 20 most polluted in the world.
In total, yearly PM2.5 levels in 35% of Indian cities were more than ten times the WHO threshold of 5 micrograms per cubic meter. In India, air pollution still poses a major health danger, lowering life expectancy by an estimated 5.2 years.
A study published last year in the Lancet Planetary Health suggested that long-term exposure to PM2.5 pollution may have contributed to around 1.5 million deaths in India year between 2009 and 2019. PM2.5 is the term for air pollution particles smaller than 2.5 microns, which can enter the bloodstream and lungs and cause cancer, heart disease, and breathing difficulties. Vehicle exhaust, industrial pollutants, and the burning of wood or agricultural waste are some of the sources.
According to Soumya Swaminathan, a former WHO top scientist and counselor to the health ministry, India has made strides in gathering data on air quality but has not done enough. “We have the data; now we need action. Some solutions are easy like replacing biomass with LPG. India already has a scheme for this, but we must further subsidize additional cylinders. The first cylinder is free, but the poorest families, especially women, should receive higher subsidies. This will improve their health and reduce outdoor air pollution,” she told.
Imposing fines on specific autos and increasing public transportation could be beneficial in urban areas. “A mix of incentives and penalties is necessary,” she stated. “Finally, strict enforcement of emission laws is crucial. Industries and construction sites must comply with regulations and install equipment to cut emissions instead of taking shortcuts,” the former director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research added.
