The World Air Quality Report released on Tuesday by the Swiss organization IQAir stated that Delhi was the most polluted capital in the world with respect to air quality for the fourth consecutive year in 2021. The report was based on the IQAir real-time online air quality monitoring platform which monitors air quality across the world.

Thirty five out of the 50 cities with the worst air quality were in India. Increased pollution concentration was observed in Delhi with an annual average PM2.5 level touching 58.1 ug/m³ in 2021. No Indian city met the WHO air quality guideline of 5 ug/m³. About 48% of India’s cities surpassed 50 ug/m³, which was more than 10 times the WHO guideline in 2021.

This has been raising concerns as air pollution was one of the main factors for developing asthma, lung and heart disease. Also, increased exposure to PM 2.5 enhanced the chances of getting infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and developing severe symptoms of COVID-19. (ET Health World - ANI, March 23, 2022)