World 20 The list of the most polluted cities has been released, out of which 13 cities are from India alone. The most polluted city is Bernihat of Meghalaya. According to ‘World Air Quality Report 2024’ published by IqAir, Delhi is the most polluted capital in the world. Talking about countries, India is the fifth most polluted city in the world. The figure has been declared for the year 2024, while India was third in 2023. Thus, there has been some improvement in pollution in India. The report said that the density of PM 2.5 particles in India has come down by 7%. If we talk about the top 10 cities, then 6 of them are in India alone.
Bernihat on top in the list of most polluted cities in India
The 13 cities of India which are considered to be the most polluted include cities from Punjab to Meghalaya. Bernihat is at number one in this list, while Delhi is second. Delhi is one of the most polluted capitals in the world. Apart from this, Mullanpur of Punjab is in third place. Faridabad is at number four. This is followed by Loni, New Delhi, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh and Noida in Ghaziabad. Overall, the PM 2.5 level in 35% of Indian cities is 10 times higher than the list prepared by the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization has a limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
Air pollution in India is a matter of concern
According to the report, air pollution has been a matter of constant concern in India and is also a major health risk. Due to pollution, the life expectancy of the people in India is decreasing on an average of 5.2 years. According to a study by Lancet Health, between 2009 and 2019, 1.5 million deaths occurred due to excessive contact of PM 2.5 pollution. PM 2.5 is the particles present in the air that affects the lungs. This can cause difficulty in breathing. Many times it also causes heart disease and cancer. The report claimed that smoke emanating from vehicles, industrial emissions and burning crops and wood are the main factor of air pollution.
Former WHO scientist gave solution to India
Soumya Swaminathan, former chief scientist and advisor to the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, said that India has improved air quality data collection, but lacks adequate measures. We have figures, but now we have to take action too. Some solutions are simple, such as LPG in place of biomass. To use There is already a plan for this in India, but we should provide more subsidy on additional cylinders. The first cylinder is free but the poorest families, especially women, should get more subsidies. This will improve their health and reduce external air pollution. Extending public transport in cities and imposing penalty on some cars can help. A mixture of encouragement and punishment is necessary.
