According to the World Air Quality Report, published by Swiss organisation IQAir and issued on Tuesday, India has 35 of the 50 cities with the poorest air quality, with New Delhi continuing to be the world’s most polluted capital city for the fourth consecutive year in 2021. According to the survey, Delhi’s air pollution, which is ranked fourth in the world, has increased by about 15% in the last year.
However, Bhiwadi in Rajasthan is the world’s most polluted city, followed by Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. According to the report, the country has up to 15 of the most polluted cities, with the majority of them clustered around the national capital.
The IQAir analysis, which was based on data collected from 6,475 cities throughout the world, also found that no country met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality benchmark in 2021, and that smog even rose in certain areas following a COVID-related decline.
Vehicle emissions, coal-fired power plants, industrial waste, biomass combustion for cooking, and the building industry are all major causes of air pollution. Indeed, due to extreme levels of air pollution, several huge power plants in the Delhi area, as well as several businesses, were shut down for the first time in November of last year.
The health consequences are far worse. Three deaths per minute are believed to be a result of air pollution, in addition to heart and lung ailments and other serious illnesses.
