GUWAHATI: Guwahati has become the second most polluted city in the world, just behind Bihar’s Begusarai which ranked first in the 2023 World Air Quality Report by IQAir.
Guwahati earned the dubious distinction after recording an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 105.4, exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines by over 10 times.
The reasons can be attributed to several factors, including an increase in construction activities across the city causing a rise in dust pollution, along with a high number of vehicles on the streets.
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Begusarai in Bihar was the most polluted city in the world, followed by Guwahati, Delhi, Mullanpur and Pakistan’s Lahore to make up the top five.
Furthermore, New Delhi was the world’s most polluted capital city with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 92.7, followed by Dhaka in Bangladesh and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.
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Nine cities out of ten in the World’s Most Polluted Cities ranking were Indian cities. In total, the list featured 42 Indian cities in top 50, raising severe concerns about the air quality in India, which was the third most polluted country in the world right behind Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Highlighting the detrimental effects on air pollution, the report stated, “Causing an estimated one in every nine deaths worldwide, air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to human health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is responsible for an estimated seven million premature deaths worldwide every year.”
“Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution leads to and exacerbates numerous health conditions, including but not limited to asthma, cancer, stroke, and lung disease. Additionally, exposure to elevated levels of fine particles can impair cognitive development in children, lead to mental health issues, and complicate existing illnesses including diabetes,” the report further stated.