Air pollution report: India's cleanest and most polluted cities
What's the story
Delhi is the most polluted city in India, followed by Patna and Muzaffarpur. These cities are part of the Indo-Gangetic plains, indicating that air quality over the plains is below average.
The Respirer Living Sciences report measured the air pollution between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023.
The other cities on the list are Muzaffarpur, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Nalbari, Asansol, and Gwalior.
Context
Why does this story matter?
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution—both indoors and outdoors—causes a staggering 67 lakh premature deaths every year.
A recent report revealed that Delhi residents lose 11.9 years of their lives due to breathing toxic air.
Shockingly, only 1% of international development funds are dedicated to tackling this issue, says the State of Global Air Quality Funding 2023 report.
Insight
Aizawl is least polluted city in India
Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, has the cleanest air. It has a PM2.5 (µg/m3) concentration of 11 micrograms per cubic meter.
PM2.5 is a term used to describe fine inhalable particles with diameters that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller.
The WHO states that annual PM2.5 concentrations should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
In 2021, Delhi had an annual average of 126.5 µg/m3.
details
Are India and Nepal neglected in funding distribution?
India and Nepal are the top two countries with the highest population-weighted annual average PM2.5 exposure. Notably, each received less than 1% of funds dedicated to fighting air pollution.
In the fiscal year 2023-24, the Indian government boosted the budget for the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to Rs. 756 crore.
However, the budget falls short of addressing air pollution caused by agricultural practices.
Fact card
States with cleanest air
A total of eight cities enjoy clean air in Karnataka. They are Chikkamagaluru, Chamarajanagar, Madikeri, Vijayapura, Raichur, Shivamogga, Gadag, and Mysore.
Interestingly, Mandikhera in Haryana is the only North Indian city that boasts a good air quality index.
According to a new study, Delhi's PM2.5 concentration of 100.1 micrograms per cubic meter is three times the government's recommended level.