11 of the top 20 cities in the world’s most polluted cities are in India! This information was revealed in the 2024 air quality report of a Swedish company called ‘IQ Air’.

Birnihat on the Assam-Meghalaya border tops the list (Air Quality Index or AQI) at 128.2. This city in northeastern India has briefly overtaken the capital Delhi to claim the top spot.

The remaining 10 Indian cities in the top 20 are Delhi, Mullanpur, Faridabad, Loni, New Delhi, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi and Muzaffarnagar respectively. Kolkata ranks 183rd! The annual average AQI there is 45.6.

The Swiss company’s report says that Delhi is the most polluted capital city in the world. On the other hand, India has become the fifth most polluted country in the world in 2024, up from third in 2023. The report also said that in 2024, the average concentration of PM 2.5 in India was 50.6 micrograms per cubic meter, which is many times higher than the normal level as per the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines. According to the WHO’s air pollution criteria, almost no city in India has air quality that is not comfortable. However, the report says that compared to 2023, the amount of particles that cause suspended pollution in India’s air has decreased by seven percent. Despite this, the pollution picture has not changed much. Delhi has consistently maintained high levels of pollution, with an annual average concentration of PM 2.5 of 91.6 micrograms per cubic meter.

The report states that 35 percent of Indian cities have annual average concentrations of PM 2.5 that are 10 times higher than the WHO’s safe limit. The worst of these is in North India. Apart from Kolkata in West Bengal, six other cities are on the Swiss agency’s list. These are Durgapur, Asansol, Barrackpore, Howrah, Siliguri and Haldia respectively.

It should be noted that according to the WHO air quality standards, the pollution level should be 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air. PM 2.5 is a small air pollutant particle smaller than 2.5 microns, which can also enter the bloodstream through the lungs. Experts say that this can cause respiratory problems, heart disease and even cancer. Sources of PM 2.5 include polluted smoke emitted from vehicles or industrial areas, construction work, burning of wood or crop stubble.