Delhi world’s most polluted capital again: report

 Delhi has the poorest air while Bihar's Begusarai is said to be the world's most polluted metropolitan area, according to the World Air Quality Report 2023 by Swiss organization IQAir.

Delhi was identified as the capital city with the poorest air quality whereas Bihar's Begusarai emerged as the world's most polluted metropolitan area. As per the World Air Quality Report 2023 by Swiss organization IQAir, India had the third worst air quality out of 134 countries in 2023 with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter after Bangladesh (79.9 micrograms per cubic meter) and Pakistan (73.7 micrograms per cubic meter), news agency PTI reported.

In 2022, India was ranked as the eighth most polluted country with an average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic meter. 

Begusarai has emerged as the most polluted metropolitan area globally, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 micrograms per cubic meter. The city did not even appear on the 2022 rankings. 

Delhi's PM2.5 levels worsened from 89.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022 to 92.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. The national capital has been ranked the most polluted capital city in the world for four consecutive years starting from 2018, as per the report, stated PTI.

As per the World Air Quality Report 2023, 1.36 billion people in India are exposed to PM2.5 concentrations, this exceeds the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended annual guideline level of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.