Bengaluru: With levels of fine particulate matter, a major pollutant, at more than ten times the WHO’s annual guidelines, India is the world’s fifth-most polluted country as per the 2024 World Air Quality Report by IQAIR, a Swiss air quality technology company.
Weighted by population, India’s average concentration of fine particulate matter, measured in micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3), in 2024 was 50.6 – against the WHO’s recommended annual guideline level of 5 μg/m3.
India has several other reasons for notoriety as far as air quality goes, per the report that was released on March 11. One is that 74 of the 100 most polluted cities in the world in 2024 are in India, including three of the top four.
Byrnihat in Meghalaya is the world’s most polluted city, per the report, with a fine particulate matter concentration of 128.2 µg/m³, more than 25 times the WHO guideline limit.
Delhi follows at a close second.
Only seven countries met the WHO’s annual guidelines for fine particulate matter concentrations: Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Estonia, Grenada, Iceland and New Zealand.
World Air Quality Report 2024
Published on March 11, the World Air Quality Report 2024 specifically looked at levels of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, which are particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter.
Though fine, these particles are deadly: they are a major pollutant emitted by construction, industries and fossil fuels, and can affect human health, causing a range of illnesses including respiratory issues.
In 2021 alone, 8.1 million total deaths could be attributed to air pollution, and fine particulate matter caused 58% of them.
The World Air Quality Report 2024 compiled data from more than 40,000 air quality monitoring stations across 8,954 locations in 138 countries, territories and regions across the globe. Researchers then analysed data on PM2.5 keeping certain factors in check, such as the country’s population.
The Bahamas, with an average fine particulate matter concentration of 2.3 µg/m3, was the cleanest country in 2024, the report showed.
Oceania was the world’s cleanest region in 2024, with 57% of regional cities meeting the WHO PM2.5 annual guideline value of 5 µg/m3.
Mayaguez, a city in Puerto Rico, was the cleanest metropolitan area, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of just 1.1 µg/m3.
Only 17% of global cities met the WHO air pollution guideline in 2024.
The top five countries that had the worst air quality in 2024 were Chad (with annual average concentrations of fine particulate matter at 91.8 µg/m3), Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and India.
India’s records – of the wrong kind
According to the report, India’s annual average concentration of fine particulate matter is 50.6 µg/m3, more than 10 times the permissible limits as prescribed by the WHO.
India’s own national guidelines, however, differ from the WHO’s guidelines and are more lax. As per India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards of 2019, the permissible concentration of fine particulate matter is 60 µg/m3 for a 24-hour period, and 40 µg/m3 annually – versus the guidelines of less than 15 µg/m3 for a 24-hour period and 5 µg/m3 annually set by the WHO.
Though India witnessed a 7% decline in fine particulate matter concentrations in 2024 when compared to 2023, there are several other records that India as a country holds when it comes to air quality levels in 2024 as per the latest IQAIR report.
Of the 100 most polluted cities of the world in 2024, 74 are in India, including three of the top four. Meghalaya’s Byrnihat is the world’s most polluted city, per the report, with a fine particulate matter concentration of 128.2 µg/m³, more than 25 times the WHO guideline limit.
Delhi is the world’s second-most polluted city, with a fine particulate matter concentration of more than 21 times the WHO guidelines.
According to the report, the concentration of fine particulate matter in the national capital increased by 6% in 2024 compared to from 2023.
Alarmingly, 35% of India’s cities witnessed levels of fine particulate matter at more than ten times WHO air pollution guidelines in 2024, and none of its cities logged levels less than double the guideline value.
“Despite governmental measures, such as the National Clean Air Programme aiming to reduce pollution levels, challenges persist due to inconsistent policy implementation and inadequate infrastructure,” the report noted, about the challenges that India faces when it comes to air quality levels.
“The World Air Quality Report, which compiles measurements of air pollution from around the globe, should be a rallying call for urgent and concerted international efforts to cut pollutant emissions,” said Aidan Farrow, senior air quality scientist with Greenpeace International, in a press release.
“By highlighting the disproportionate risk posed to young people by air pollution, the report reminds us that a failure to act today will be felt by future generations, while frequent references to human activities like coal burning and deforestation are a reminder that air quality, climate change and the world that will be inherited by our children are inextricably linked.”
