India has been named home to 13 of the world’s top 20 most polluted cities, highlighting the Air Pollution Crisis. Byrnihat in Assam ranks as the most polluted city globally, according to the World Air Quality Report 2024 by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company. Delhi retains its position as the most polluted capital city worldwide, while India has dropped to the fifth position as the most polluted country, down from third place in 2023.
The report highlights a slight improvement in India’s air quality, showing a 7% decrease in PM2.5 concentrations. In 2024, the average PM2.5 level was 50.6 micrograms per cubic meter, compared to 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. Despite this improvement, six of the world’s ten most polluted cities are still located in India, reflecting the ongoing Air Pollution Crisis.
Byrnihat, a town in Assam, has consistently recorded “very poor” air quality due to high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). Industrial emissions from the 41 factories in the area, including iron and steel plants, distilleries, cement factories, and beverage production units, are the primary contributors to this hazardous air quality. Byrnihat’s location as a key transit hub between Assam and Meghalaya exacerbates the situation, with heavy truck traffic further contributing to pollution. Local authorities confirmed that there is no dedicated pollution control authority in the area, with officials only visiting from Shillong, nearly 70 km away.
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Delhi Among World’s Most Polluted Cities, Air Quality Crisis Deepens
Delhi, India’s capital, continues to face dangerously high pollution levels. The city recorded an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 91.6 micrograms per cubic meter, nearly identical to 2023’s figure of 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter. The 13 Indian cities featured in the world’s top 20 most polluted cities include Byrnihat, Delhi, Mullanpur (Punjab), Faridabad, Loni, New Delhi, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh, and Noida.
The report highlights that 35% of Indian cities recorded annual PM2.5 levels over 10 times the WHO’s safe limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter. This severe air pollution poses a major health risk, cutting life expectancy by an estimated 5.2 years.
A Lancet Planetary Health study from last year linked approximately 1.5 million annual deaths in India (2009-2019) to prolonged PM2.5 exposure. These microscopic particles can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream, leading to respiratory issues, heart disease, and cancer. Major sources include vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, and burning of wood and crop waste.
Soumya Swaminathan, former WHO chief scientist and advisor to India’s health ministry, acknowledged India’s progress in air quality monitoring but stressed the need for stronger action. She proposed solutions like replacing biomass with LPG to curb indoor pollution, subsidizing LPG for low-income households, expanding public transport, and enforcing stricter industrial emission laws.
Swaminathan emphasized a balanced approach of incentives and penalties to combat air pollution, highlighting the importance of strict law enforcement to protect public health and the environment.
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