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India has been labeled the world’s third most polluted nation. In keeping with the World Air High quality Report 2023 by the Swiss group IQAir, India’s air high quality ranked poorly with a median annual PM2.5 focus of 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter. Solely Bangladesh and Pakistan fared worse, with concentrations of 9.9 and 73.7 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively.
This marked a big decline for India, which had ranked eighth within the earlier yr’s report with a median PM2.5 focus of 53.3 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022.
Begusarai in Bihar, India, emerged because the world’s most polluted metropolitan space, with a median PM2.5 focus of 118.9 micrograms per cubic meter. Notably, Bihar’s monetary capital didn’t characteristic within the earlier yr’s checklist.
Delhi, the capital metropolis of India, skilled an additional deterioration in air high quality, with PM2.5 ranges reaching 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, up from 89.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022. This marks the fourth consecutive yr that Delhi has been ranked because the world’s most polluted capital metropolis.
Of the highest 11 most polluted cities globally, 10 are positioned in India, with Lahore in Pakistan being the one exception.
Shashi Tharoor, a veteran Congress MP, has described the scenario as a “public well being emergency requiring the eye of a accountable authorities.”
In keeping with the report, roughly 136 million Indian residents are uncovered to PM2.5 concentrations larger than the really helpful ranges set by the World Well being Group (WHO), which is 5 micrograms per cubic meter yearly. Moreover, round 96% of the Indian inhabitants faces PM2.5 ranges which are seven instances larger than the really helpful ranges, with over 66% of Indian cities reporting annual averages exceeding 35 micrograms per cubic meter.
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