Bihar’s Begusarai, ‘world’s most polluted city in 2023’; India ranks 3rd globally: Swiss report

Bihar’s Begusarai, ‘world’s most polluted city in 2023’; India ranks 3rd globally: Swiss report

Subject: Environment

Section: Pollution

The World Air Quality Report 2023:

• The report, produced by the Swiss organization IQAir, marks its 6th annual publication, offering insights into global air pollution levels.
• It emphasizes the need for local, national, and international efforts to address air quality issues, manage transboundary haze, and reduce reliance on combustion energy sources.
• Key Findings:
  • Begusarai in Bihar was named the most polluted metropolitan area in 2023.
  • Delhi was recognized as the capital city with the poorest air quality globally.
  • India ranked as the third worst country out of 134 in terms of average annual PM2.5 concentration, following Bangladesh (1st) and Pakistan (2nd).
• India’s Air Quality:
  • Approximately 96% of India’s population lives in areas where air quality is seven times worse than WHO guidelines.
• Global Air Pollution status:
  • About 92.5% of the 7,812 locations analyzed across 134 countries exceeded WHO’s PM2.5 air quality guidelines.
  • Columbus, Ohio, and Beloit in Wisconsin, were highlighted as polluted cities in the United States, with Las Vegas being the cleanest major US city.
  • Africa is significantly underrepresented in air quality data, lacking information for a third of its population.
  • Canada was identified for the first time as the most polluted country in Northern America.
  • Seven countries (Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand) met the WHO’s PM2.5 annual guideline.

About PM2.5:

• PM2.5 refers to particulate matter that is 2.5 microns in diameter, posing significant health risks such as heart attacks, strokes, and oxidative stress even at modest concentrations.
• The WHO revised its PM2.5 guideline to recommend a yearly average of 5 µg/m3 or less, tightening from the previous guideline of 10 µg/m3.

Source: HT