Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai among top 10 most polluted cities in the world; Pakistan’s Lahore tops

Bangladesh’s Dhaka, Indonesia’s Jakarta, Vietnam’s Hanoi and Karachi in Pakistan were also among the cities worst hit by air pollution.

This is what the list looked like on Wednesday:

World’s most polluted cities in real time. (Screenshot/IQAir)

An AQI of 0-50 is considered good while anything between 400-500 affects healthy people and is a danger to those with existing diseases.

Another analysis published earlier this month observed that out of the eight of India’s major state capitals that face air pollution crisis, Delhi had the highest Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 level in October for the past five years. Since 2021, the city has witnessed a consistent rise in PM 2.5 levels — they increased by 4.4% in October 2023 as compared to last year, the analysis added.

The study also noted that PM 2.5 levels in Mumbai increased by 110% in the past four years — in October 2019, the level stood at 27.7 μg/m3, and two years later it jumped to 58.3 μg/m3.

In light of the crisis in the national capital, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for formulating strategies to combat pollution in the region, on Sunday (November 5) invoked measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect.