World’s Most Polluted Cities 2022: New Delhi tops global list, know other Indian cities in top spots (2024)

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World’s Most Polluted Cities 2022: New Delhi tops global list, know other Indian cities in top spots? ›

Delhi was the most polluted capital city in the world in 2023, a Swiss-based air-quality monitoring group has found. India, of which Delhi is the capital, was also ranked as the world's third-most polluted country after neighbours Bangladesh and Pakistan, IQAir said.

Delhi was the most polluted capital city in the world in 2023, a Swiss-based air-quality monitoring group has found. India, of which Delhi is the capital, was also ranked as the world's third-most polluted country after neighbours Bangladesh and Pakistan, IQAir said.

In the 2022 iteration of the report, New Delhi ranked as the second most polluted capital in the world behind Chad's N'Djamena (89.7µg/m3).

Delhi was ranked as the third most polluted city overall and the most polluted capital, with an annual average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2. 5) at 102.1 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m³). The World Health Organization (WHO) says countries should aim for an average PM2. 5 concentration of 5μg/m³.

📌 Africa remains the most underrepresented continent, with a third of the population still lacking access to air quality data. 📌 Of the top ten most polluted cities in the world, 9 belong to India. 📌 China also saw PM2. 5 rise 6.3% to 32.5 micrograms last year, after five consecutive annual declines.

Unfavourable meteorological conditions, combined with vehicular emissions, paddy-straw burning, firecrackers and other local pollution sources, contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during winters.

As the capital city of India, Delhi is subject to a high level of pollution year-round.

"Delhi is a state where pollution levels have been decreasing consistently. From 2015 till 2023, there has been a decrease in levels of PM 10 and PM 2.5. After 2015, last year we had 206 days of better air quality," Rai told ANI.

Air pollution in Delhi-NCR in the winter is linked to low temperature and low wind speed that keeps pollutants trapped close to the surface. In Mumbai, these surface winds were calmer and may have reduced dispersal of pollutants, that is usually seen with high wind speeds since it is a coastal city, the paper observed.

Which city is more polluted, Delhi or Mumbai? ›

Mumbai leaves Delhi behind, ranks as world's second-most polluted city - BusinessToday.

Fire in Bhalswa landfill is a major reason for airborne particles in Delhi. Agricultural stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab, coupled with north-westerly winds also affects Delhi's air quality since the 1980s when crops are being harvested.

New Delhi, 19 March 2024: The 6th Annual World Air Quality Report finds New Delhi to be the most polluted capital city in the world, while India ranks as the third most polluted country globally in 2023, closing following neighbouring Bangladesh and Pakistan.

This combines with other pollutants to rank India as the world's third greatest producer of greenhouse gases, behind China and the USA.

Among the states, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were determined the cleanest in India with high sanitation standards. Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Nagaland were found to be the least clean.

In the 1990s, Delhi ranked fourth among the 41 most polluted cities of the world.

Byrnihat ranked as the most polluted city in India in March 2024, making it the second consecutive month that the city topped the list. Byrnihat recorded a monthly average PM_2.5 concentration of 155 µg/m³, surpassing the daily NAAQS on 29 days out of 31 days with data for the month.