India is the fifth country in the world and Delhi is the most polluted capital of the world!

According to a new report published on Tuesday, 13 of the world's top 20 most polluted cities are in India. Burnihat in Assam tops the list of most polluted cities in the country. The World Air Quality Report 2024 by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir said that Delhi remains the most polluted capital globally, while India has become the fifth most polluted country in the world in 2024. Let us tell you that in this list, India was at number three in 2023.

The report said that India saw a 7 per cent drop in PM 2.5 concentrations in 2024, to an average of 50.6 μg per cubic metre compared to 54.4 μg per cubic metre in 2023. Yet, 6 of the world's 10 most polluted cities are in India. Delhi recorded persistently high pollution levels, with an annual average PM 2.5 concentration of 91.6 micrograms per cubic metre, down from around 92.7 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023. The 13 Indian cities in the top 20 most polluted cities in the world are: Burnihat, Delhi, Mullanpur (Punjab) Faridabad, Loni, New Delhi, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh and Noida. Overall, 35 per cent of Indian cities have annual PM 2.5 levels more than 10 times the WHO limit of 5 micrograms per cubic metre. Air pollution in India has reached an alarming situation and due to this, the average age of an average Indian is reduced by about 5.2 years.