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World Air Quality Report

2023 MAR 15

Preliminary   > Environment and Ecology   >   Pollution   >   Reports and indices

Why in news?

  • According to the World Air Quality Report prepared by IQAir, Delhi ranked 4th out of 50 of the world’s most polluted cities in terms of PM2.5 levels in 2022.
  • Out of 131 countries, India ranked 8th with a population weighted average PM2.5 level of 53.3 μg/m3 in 2022.

About World Air Quality Report:

  • IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, prepares the annual World Air Quality Reports based on data from monitoring stations operated by governments and other institutions and organisations across the world.
  • It measures air quality levels based on the concentration of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5.
  • The 2022 report (5th annual report) is based on PM2.5 data from 7,323 cities and 131 countries.

Key Findings:

  • Global:
    • Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh are the 5 most polluted countries in 2022.
    • Lahore was the most polluted city in the world, followed by Hotan in China, and Bhiwadi in Rajasthan.
  • India:
    • Roughly 60 percent of cities in India included in the report recorded annual PM2.5 levels at least seven times higher than the WHO guidelines
    • The WHO guideline for annual PM2.5 levels is 5 μg/m3.
    • Delhi had an average PM2.5 level of 92.6 μg/m3 in 2022, a little below the average of 96.4 μg/m3 in 2021.
      • The report makes a distinction between New Delhi and Delhi, with New Delhi having an annual average PM2.5 level of 89.1 μg/m3.
    • New Delhi is the second most polluted capital city in the world, with N’Djamena in Chad topping the list.
    • A total of 39 Indian cities (including ‘Delhi’ and ‘New Delhi’) are on the list of 50 of the world’s most polluted cities.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

With reference to ‘World Air Quality Report’ prepared by IQAir, consider the following statements:

1. According to the World Air Quality Report 2022, India is ranked as the most polluted country in the world

2. It measures air quality levels based on the concentration of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer