Swiss air quality technology company IQAir recently released a World Air Quality Report that positions thirteen Indian cities among the top twenty most polluted cities worldwide. Byrnihat, a city from Assam, secured the first global position while New Delhi maintained its position as the most polluted capital city on Earth. In 2024 India held the position of the fifth most polluted nation while descending from its previous ranking as the third most polluted in 2023.
The study showed India achieved a minor improvement in air cleanliness since PM2.5 concentrations fell 7% from 2023 to 2024. Six cities in India occupy spots among the world’s ten most polluted areas and Delhi continues to face constant air contamination challenges. Delhi’s 2024 average PM2.5 level stood at 91.6 micrograms per cubic meter exactly the same as the 2023 figure of 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter.
More Cities Found Out to be Polluted
The most polluted Indian cities include Byrnihat, Mullanpur (Punjab), Faridabad, Loni, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh, and Noida. Overall, about 35% of the Indian cities featured in the report had PM2.5 levels that were more than 10 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
In terms of global pollution rankings, India’s position was below countries like Chad, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, which also have high pollution levels. The environmental impact of the pollution is severe, with the report estimating that air pollution has contributed to a reduction in life expectancy by 5.2 years for the average Indian.
The long-term effects of exposure to PM2.5 pollution are concerning, with a Lancet Planetary Health study revealing that approximately 1.5 million deaths occurred annually between 2009 and 2019 in India due to the adverse health effects of air pollution.
Former WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan’s Stance
Former WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan emphasised the importance of transforming data into action. “We have the data; now we need action. Some solutions are easy like replacing biomass with LPG,” she said, stressing the need to further subsidise LPG cylinders for poorer households, especially women, to reduce air pollution. Swaminathan also called for better public transport systems to decrease vehicular emissions and suggested a mix of incentives and penalties for cleaner practices.
“Strict enforcement of emission laws is crucial,” Swaminathan added. She called on industries and construction sites to follow regulations and reduce emissions rather than taking shortcuts to meet their demands.
