By Muhammad Luqman
New Delhi has been ranked the world’s most polluted capital city for the fourth consecutive year since 2018, while India emerged as the third worst country in terms of air quality, according to a report .
The World Air Quality Report 2023 conducted by Swiss organisation IQAir, reveals that Begusarai city in Eastern Indian state of Bihar topped the charts as the world’s most polluted metropolitan area.
South Asia remained the smoggiest region in the world during the year 2023 with Bangladesh, Pakistan and India occupying the bottom positions in terms of air quality. Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization, according to the data released by IQAir.
Average concentrations of PM2.5 – small airborne particles that damage the lungs – reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic metre in Bangladesh in 2023, and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan. The WHO recommends no more than 5 micrograms.
In 2022, Bangladesh was ranked as having the fifth-worst air quality, and India was eighth.
According to media reports, about 20% of premature deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to air pollution, and related healthcare costs amount to 4%-5% of the country’s GDP.
Indian pollution also increased last year, with PM2.5 levels about 11 times higher than the WHO standard. India’s New Delhi was the worst-performing capital city, at 92.7 micrograms.
China also saw PM2.5 rise 6.3% to 32.5 micrograms last year, after five consecutive annual declines.
Only Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand met WHO standards in 2023.
The IQAir report was based on data from more than 30,000 monitoring stations in 134 countries and regions.
Chad, the world’s most polluted country in 2022, was excluded from the 2023 listings because of data issues. Iran and Sudan were also taken off the 2023 list.
