22 of world’s 30 most polluted cities are in India

Australian cities comparatively enjoy far cleaner and safer air with most cities meeting the World Health Organisation’s target.

An Indian man runs with his face covered as smog pollutes the air in New Delhi, India, 31 October 2018. Source: AAP Image/ EPA/RAJAT GUPTA

India is home to some of the world’s most polluted cities, according to the latest data compiled by Greenpeace and the IQAir AirVisual 2018 World Air Quality Report.

The data highlights that out of 30 most polluted cities in the world, 22 are in India. 

Gurugram, one of India’s industrial hubs, is the most polluted Indian city, with neighbouring Ghaziabad ranking second on the list.

TOP 30 MOST POLLUTED CITIES IN THE WORLD:

Source: Greenpeace and the IQAir AirVisual 2018 World Air Quality Report

The report is based on data compiled for the state of particulate matter (PM2.5) in more than 3000 cities.

While the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s annual safety target is 10 µg/m3, Gurugram reported 135.8 µg/m3, Ghaziabad 135.2 µg/m3 and Faridabad, 129.1 µg/m3 on an average in 2018.  

Frank Hammes, IQAir CEO, said, “The 2018 World Air Quality Report is based on the review, compilation and validation of data from tens of thousands of air quality monitoring stations around the world. Now everyone with a cellphone has free access to this data via the AirVisual platform.”

Heavy smog one day after the Diwali festival in New Delhi, India. Indian court imposed restrictions on use of firecrackers in a bid to control air pollution. Source: AAP Image/ EPA/STR

Faisalabad, Lahore in Pakistan, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Hotan, Kashgar, Xingtai Shi, Shijiazhuang and Aksu in China also made it to the top 30 making Asia a place with most toxic cities in the world.

"At a country level, weighted by population, Bangladesh emerges as the most polluted country on average, closely followed by Pakistan and India," the report said.

Pujarini Sen, from Greenpeace India said, “IQAir AirVisual 2018 World Air Quality Report is a reminder to us indicating that our efforts and actions to reduce the invisible killer, i.e., air pollution are not enough, and we need to do much more than already planned and done.”

Australia has a much cleaner, safer air

Source: Avalon/UIG via Getty Images

Australian cities comparatively enjoy far cleaner and safer air with most cities meeting WHO’s target of 10 µg/m3 or less.

Melbourne measured 5.8 µg/m3, Sydney recorded 7.6 µg/m3, Adelaide recorded 6.5 µg/m3, Brisbane was 7.2 µg/m3 and Perth scored 9.3 µg/m3 on an average in 2018, lower than WHO’s target of 10 µg/m3 or less.

The WHO estimates that 7 million people a year die prematurely from exposure to air pollution globally.

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