Begusarai Leads Global Ranking as Most Polluted City

Tags: Reports

Begusarai in Bihar has been identified as the most polluted city in the world in the World Air Quality Report 2023 by IQAir.

An Overview of the News

• According to the report, 83 of the top 100 most polluted cities globally are located in India.

• After Begusarai, Guwahati is the second most polluted city, while Delhi and Mullanpur (Punjab) are in the third and fourth positions respectively.

India's ranking in the Global Air Pollution Report

• Globally, according to the list of 134 countries, India ranks third behind Bangladesh and Pakistan among the top five most polluted countries.

• The World Air Quality Report underlines that India's PM2.5 level is 54.4 µg/m3, which is 10 times higher than WHO's annual guideline of PM2.5 refers to harmful fine particulate matter.

Impact of air pollution in South Asia

• South Asia has emerged as the most affected region, hosting the top 10 most polluted cities globally, with factors such as climate conditions and cross-border haze increasing PM2.5 levels across Southeast Asia.

• Of the 134 countries surveyed, only 7 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland, meet WHO's annual PM2.5 guideline.