Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata among top 10 world's most polluted cities
Lahore, Pakistan, and Chengdu, China, are also the cities with the highest AQI indexes.
FollowIncreasing levels of air pollution in Delhi, compounded by a dangerous combination of smoke from adjacent field fires and the city's pollution sources such as car emissions, have prompted fears of a health emergency. Meanwhile, according to the air quality and pollution city tracking service provided by IQAir, a Swiss-based climate firm also a technology partner of the United Nations Environmental Program, three cities in India are among the ten cities with the worst air quality indices.
According to a Delhi Pollution Control Committee investigation, individuals in Delhi breathe the worst air between November 1 and November 15 of each year.Â
While Delhi leads the list with an average AQI of 556, according to IQAirservice, Kolkata ranks fourth, and Mumbai ranks sixth. Lahore, Pakistan, and Chengdu, China, are also the cities with the highest AQI indexes. According to IQAir, the following cities have the poorest air quality indices and pollution rankings:
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1. Delhi, India (AQI: 556)
2. Lahore, Pakistan (AQI: 354)
3. Sofia, Bulgaria (AQI: 178)
4. Kolkata, India (AQI: 177)
5. Zagreb, Croatia (AQI: 173)
6. Mumbai, India (AQI: 169)
7. Belgrade, Serbia (AQI: 165)
8. Chengdu, China (AQI: 165)
9. Skopje, North Macedonia (AQI: 164)
10. Krakow, Poland (AQI: 160)
Also Read |Â Delhi: Pollution board issues advisory; asks offices to decrease vehicular movement as air quality decreases
Farm fires have played a significant influence in physically pushing the NCR's air quality from bad to worse. The weather is exacerbating the situation. According to a subcommittee on Graded Response Action Plan, climatic conditions will be particularly unfavourable for pollution dispersion until November 18, and agencies involved must be fully prepared to execute steps under the 'emergency' category.
Meanwhile, SAFAR has issued a severe health warning, recommending everyone to refrain from engaging in any outside physical activity. It advised individuals not to rely on dust masks for protection and instead to utilise N-95 or P-100 respirators. Meanwhile, the country's pollution control body has advised concerned authorities to be "fully prepared" for emergency measures to address the pollution problem in the national capital.
