Why in news?

The World Air Quality Report 2024 by IQAir highlights severe pollution in India, with 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities located in the country.

Byrnihat (Assam) is the most polluted city globally, while Delhi remains the most polluted capital. India ranked fifth in air pollution in 2024, improving from third place in 2023.

What’s in today’s article?

• Key Highlights of the World Air Quality Report 2024
• Challenges in Pollution Control Efforts and Way Forward

Key Highlights of the World Air Quality Report 2024

• The World Air Quality Report 2024 has been released by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir.
• The report looked at the data from over 40,000 air quality monitoring stations across 138 countries, territories, and regions, and was analysed by IQAir’s air quality scientists.
• 
• Pollution in India: Key Highlights
  • Delhi: The World’s Most Polluted Capital for Six Consecutive Years
    • Delhi has once again been ranked as the world’s most polluted capital, surpassing other cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) in 2023.
    • While some NCR cities previously recorded worse pollution levels, Delhi emerged as the most polluted regional city in South Asia.
    • In 2024, Delhi was the second most polluted city in the world and in Central and South Asia.
  • Decline in Average PM2.5 Levels
    • India's average PM2.5 concentration in 2024 was 50.6 µg/m³, reflecting a 7% decrease from 2023 (54.4 µg/m³).
  • Most Polluted Cities
    • Byrnihat recorded the highest pollution levels globally, with an annual PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 µg/m³.
    • Six Indian cities ranked among the world’s 10 most polluted.
  • Severe Pollution Episodes in Northern India
    • January 2024 witnessed poor air quality in Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.
    • November 2024 saw extreme pollution in Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.
  • Major Pollution Sources
    • Crop stubble burning accounted for 60% of PM2.5 pollution during peak periods.
    • Vehicular emissions, industrial discharges, and construction dust were other significant contributors.
• Air Pollution: A Global Crisis
  • Widespread Exposure to Dirty Air
    • In 2024, most of the global population was breathing polluted air.
    • Only 12 countries, regions, and territories met the WHO’s recommended PM2.5 limit of 5 µg/m³.
    • These regions were primarily in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Oceania.
  • Most Polluted Countries
    • The five most polluted countries, based on annual average PM2.5 concentrations, were:
    • Chad – 91.8 µg/m³
    • Bangladesh – 78 µg/m³
    • Pakistan – 73.7 µg/m³
    • Congo – 58.2 µg/m³
    • India – 50.6 µg/m³
  • Severe Air Quality Violations
    • Only 17% of the 8,954 cities worldwide met WHO’s PM2.5 guidelines.
    • The 20 most polluted cities, located in India, Kazakhstan, Chad, Pakistan, and China, exceeded WHO limits by over 10 times.

Challenges in Pollution Control Efforts and Way Forward

• The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), introduced in 2019, aimed to reduce pollution.
• However, the latest report highlighted persistent challenges due to inconsistent policy implementation and inadequate infrastructure.
• Need for Stronger Action
  • Environmental analysts argue that while Delhi has introduced policies like BS-VI fuel and advanced transportation technology, poor implementation has led to persistently high pollution levels.
  • They emphasized that systematic actions remain largely on paper and stressed the need for stronger governance and a drastic overhaul of air pollution regulation.
  • Strengthening NCAP and ensuring sustained action will be crucial for long-term improvement.