NEW DELHI: A report has stated that 39 of the world's 50 most polluted cities are in India. This is stated in the 2022 annual report of IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company. India, which was ranked fifth among the countries with the most polluted air, has improved its status by moving to eighth position in 2022.
Pakistan's Lahore, China's Hotan, Rajasthan's Bhiwadi and Delhi are at top four in the most polluted cities. There are six Indian cities in the top ten. 39 cities in the top 50 are in India. There are 65 Indian cities in the top 100. Delhi is the fourth most polluted city in the world. Kolkata - 99, Mumbai - 137, Hyderabad - 199, Bengaluru - 440, Chennai - 682.
Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso and Kuwait are the most polluted countries ahead of India. Around 35% of India's pollution is brought on by vehicles. Other sources of pollution in India include industrial units, coal-fired power plants, and the burning of organic waste.
6 lakh people die due to pollution every year. The total economic expense caused by pollution is eight lakh crore dollars. The report states that the economic expense caused by air pollution in India is 15000 crore dollars (12 lakh crore rupees).
Pollution also causes asthma, cancer, lung disease, heart disease and premature death.