India has unfortunately gained a troubling reputation lately, ranking as the world’s third most polluted country. This unsettling news comes from the 2023 World Air Quality Report, put out by IQAir, a Swiss group dedicated to keeping tabs on air quality.
This new ranking marks a downward slide from the previous year when India held the eighth spot on the list. It highlights a worsening trend in air quality across the country.
The hardest hit areas are India’s big cities, where rapid industrial growth and lax enforcement of environmental rules create especially dire conditions.
Experts point to various reasons for the skyrocketing pollution levels. One big factor is the failure to regulate industries properly, leading to a lack of compliance with pollution control measures. Also, unchecked construction activity churns out dust and emissions, making the situation even worse.
But it’s not just about the environment; this pollution is seriously bad news for people’s health too. Breathing in these pollutants can cause respiratory problems and other illnesses.
According to the IQAir report, the average level of PM 2.5, a harmful particle, in India is 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter. To put it in perspective, the air is considered safe when PM 2.5 levels are between 12 to 15 micrograms per cubic meter. Anything over 35 micrograms per cubic meter is considered unhealthy.
Let’s zoom in on Delhi, the capital city, where the PM 2.5 level shoots up to 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter, way above the national average.
One big reason for Delhi’s pollution problem is outdated construction methods, which account for about 30% of the city’s air pollution. That’s why, during times of really bad air quality, especially in winter, authorities put restrictions on non-essential construction to try to bring pollution levels down.
Back in November 2023, when Delhi’s air quality hit ‘severe’ levels, officials banned non-essential construction activities in the Delhi-NCR region. They admitted that old-fashioned building techniques were making the pollution worse.
Nikhil Bothra, who advocates for eco-friendly building methods, points to traditional construction practices as a major reason for pollution in places like Delhi.
But Delhi isn’t the only city struggling with pollution; other places like Beguserai and Guwahati are dealing with similar challenges. In fact, pollution levels in Guwahati exceed the safety standards set by the World Health Organization by more than ten times.
The local pollution control board in Assam, where Guwahati is located, disagrees with IQAir’s findings. They say their own data paints a less severe picture and suggests pollution levels that can be managed.
IQAir, the group behind the report, knows a lot about monitoring air quality. Their platform, AirVisual, gives real-time updates on air quality. The report, which looks at data from over 7,800 cities in 134 countries collected from more than 30,000 air quality monitors worldwide, shows just how big a problem air pollution is on a global scale.