New Delhi has been named the world’s most polluted capital, with India ranking third on the list of countries with the worst air quality, behind Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The city won the notorious title for 2023 as its residents were revealed to breathe air almost 10 times higher than the international safety standard, according to data from Swiss company IQAir.
The company’s study looked specifically at fine particulate matter, also known as PM2.5, which is the smallest but deadliest pollutant to the lungs and can cause clots and illness.
Globally, air containing 12 to 15 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5 is considered safe to breathe, while air with values above 35 micrograms per cubic meter is considered unhealthy.
But in a shocking revelation, PM2.5 levels were around six times higher in New Delhi, at 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter.
India comes third on the list of countries with the worst air quality, behind Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Average concentrations of the dangerous pollutant PM2.5 have reached a staggering 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter in Bangladesh in 2023.
The megacity recorded 81.9 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022, significantly lower than last year.
This is the fourth consecutive time that Delhi has become the most polluted capital in the world.
The capital’s air quality alone is also worse than India as a whole, which has an average level of 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5, making it one of the most polluted countries on the planet.
When inhaled, PM2.5 enters the bloodstream and immerses deep into lung tissues.
It comes from sources such as the burning of fossil fuels, dust storms and wildfires.
Air quality in New Delhi is consistently poor, but it becomes particularly toxic during the winter months for several reasons.
This includes the burning of crops, industrial and automobile emissions, and the launching of fireworks during festive and sacred festivals.
“We see that air pollution impacts every aspect of our lives,” said Frank Hammes, CEO of IQAir Global.
“And generally, in some of the most polluted countries, it probably reduces between three and six years of life.” And before that, it will lead to many years of suffering that would be entirely avoidable if air quality were better.
Across India, 1.3 billion people, or 96 percent of the population, live with air quality seven times higher than World Health Organization guidelines, the report said.
Central and South Asia were the worst-performing regions in the world, home to the four most polluted countries last year: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Tajikistan.
Average concentrations of the dangerous pollutant PM2.5 reached a staggering 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter in Bangladesh in 2023 and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan.
PM2.5 pollutant levels reached a worrying 73.7 micrograms per cubic meter in Pakistan last year
South Asia is particularly worrying, with 29 of the 30 most polluted cities in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh.
The report ranks the major population centers of Lahore at 5th, New Delhi at 6th and Dhaka at 24th.
In response to worrying new report naming Bangladesh, Pakistan and India as having the worst air quality in the world, as the World Meteorological Organization issues a ‘red alert’ for warming indicators climate change, Ann Harrison, climate advisor at Amnesty International, said:
“The climate ‘red alert’, combined with prolonged exposure to toxic air quality in many parts of South Asia, illustrates the risk of harm to the lives and health of more than a billion people due to accelerating climate chaos.
China also saw PM2.5 rise 6.3 percent to 32.5 micrograms last year, following five consecutive annual declines.
Only seven countries meet the WHO’s annual PM2.5 guideline, including Australia, New Zealand, Iceland and Finland.
According to IQAir, this data was collected from more than 30,000 air quality monitoring stations positioned in 134 countries, regions and territories.
Chad, the most polluted country in the world in 2022, was excluded from the 2023 ranking due to data problems. Iran and Sudan were also removed from the 2023 list.