Burnihat tops list of most polluted cities in world; 13 Indian cities in top 20

New Delhi: Burnihat in Assam has been ranked the most polluted city in the world, with 13 Indian cities making it to the top 20, according to the World Air Quality Report 2024 by Swiss air quality firm IQAir.

The report, released on Tuesday, also lists Mullanpur in Punjab, along with Faridabad and Gurugram in Haryana, among the most polluted cities.

Delhi remains the world’s most polluted capital, while India ranked as the fifth most polluted country in 2024, slipping from third place in 2023.

Despite this, the report noted a 7% decline in India’s PM2.5 concentration, averaging 50.6 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024 compared to 54.4 in 2023.

Pakistan has four cities and China has one city in the top 20 list. The report highlighted that 35% of Indian cities have annual PM2.5 levels 10 times higher than the World Health Organization’s safe limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.

The annual average PM2.5 concentration in Delhi rose from 102.4 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023 to 108.3 in 2024, indicating a worsening pollution crisis.

The report attributed the high pollution levels in Burnihat, a city on the Assam-Meghalaya border, to emissions from industries such as liquor distilleries and iron and steel plants.