The World Air Quality Report released Tuesday by Swiss organization stated that Delhi was  one of the most polluted capital in the world in terms of air quality for the fourth consecutive year with 35 out of 50 cities with worst air quality.

The report was reported on the IQAir which included PM2.5 data from 6,475 cities in 117 countries. IQAir real-time online air quality monitored the air quality. Significant increase in the pollution levels were observed in India, New Zealand, and Canada. Air pollution was a leading cause of aggravating several health issues such as asthma to cancer, lung illnesses and heart disease. Studies have shown that exposure to PM2.5 increased both the risk of contracting the virus and developing severe symptoms when infected.

A 14.6 per cent increase in PM2.5 concentrations was seen in Delhi in 2021 with levels rising to 96.4 ug/m3 from 84 ug/m3 in 2020. No cities in India met the WHO air quality guideline of 5 ug/m3 with more than 48% of India′s cities exceeding 50 ug/m3, or more than 10 times the WHO guideline in 2021.

Source: ET Healthworld