Swiss air quality monitoring company IQAir recently released the 2024 World Air Quality Report, which has a dire warning for India. According to this report, 13 Indian cities are among the top 20 polluted cities in the world. Byrnihat in Assam has topped the list of the most polluted cities.

According to the report, the Indian capital Delhi retains the title of the world’s most polluted capital. The city’s annual PM2.5 level is 91.6 micrograms per cubic meter, which was 92.7 micrograms in 2023. This high pollution level is having a serious impact on the health and living conditions of Delhiites.

Although India continues to dominate the list of the world’s most polluted cities, the country’s average air quality has improved slightly. While the average PM2.5 level was 54.4 micrograms in 2023, it has come down to 50.6 micrograms in 2024. However, despite this slight improvement, 6 of the 10 most polluted cities in the world are in India.

The city of Byrnihat in Assam tops the list of most polluted cities in 2024. The PM2.5 and PM10 levels in this city are very high, one of the reasons for which is the high density of industries.

➡️ Byrnihat has a total of 41 heavy industries, which include –
✅ Iron and steel factories
✅ Cement factories
✅ Distilleries
✅ Beverage manufacturing units

These industries have led to a terrible level of pollution. Another problem is the lack of pollution control – Byrnihat does not have a permanent pollution control authority. Officials come from 70 km away from Shillong to inspect, which has become a major obstacle in the way of effective monitoring.

According to experts, to tackle air pollution in India, pollution control from industries, reduction of vehicle emissions and increased greening are needed. Cities like Delhi and Byrnihat need to implement pollution control policies more strictly.

Environmentalists have warned that if urgent action is not taken, India’s air pollution could become even worse and the public health crisis could deepen.