India tops dubious global list; 13 Indian cities featured in top 20 most polluted list

NEW DELHI: A study by Swiss air quality technology company IQ Air has found that 13 of the 20 cities with the most polluted air in the world in 2024 are Indian. The industrial town of Byrnihat on the Meghalaya-Assam border is the most polluted city in the world. Delhi is in second place. Delhi continues to be the most polluted capital in the world.

India is ranked fifth among the countries with the worst air quality in the world. India improved from third place in 2023. However, the country's air pollution level is 10 times higher than the safety limit set by the World Health Organization. The report was prepared by evaluating data from more than 40,000 air quality monitoring stations installed in 138 countries.

Byrnihat is a major industrial town in Meghalaya. Rapid industrialization and lack of environmental regulations have put this small town at the top of the air pollution map.

'Breathtaking' Indian Cities

• Mullanpur - Punjab
• Faridabad - Haryana
• Loni - UP
• New Delhi
• Gurugram - Haryana
• Ganganagar - Rajasthan
• Greater Noida - UP
• Bhiwadi - Rajasthan
• Muzaffarnagar - UP
• Hanumangarh - Rajasthan
• Noida - UP

Seven Safe Countries

1. Australia
2. Bahamas
3. Barbados
4. Estonia
5. Grenada
6. Iceland
7. New Zealand