World Air Quality Report (WAQR), 2024

Why in News?

According to the recently released World Air Quality Report, 2024 13 out of world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India.

• WAQR – It is an annual report, which evaluates the global state of air quality from the previous year.
• It is a comprehensive report presents PM2.5 air quality data collected from 8,954 cities across 138 countries, regions and territories.

• Released by – IQAir, a Swiss Air Quality technology company.
• 5 µg/m3 – Is the recommended average annual limit of PM2.5 by the World Health Organization’s (WHO).

Key Findings of the Report, 2024

• Global status – Only 17% of global cities meet WHO air pollution guideline.
• Only 12 countries, regions and territories recorded PM2.5 concentrations below the WHO’s recommended average annual limit of 5 µg/m3.
• Oceania – It is the world’s cleanest region, with 57% of regional cities meeting the WHO guideline.

Key Findings of the Report, 2024 in India

• India – Byrnihat (128.2 µg/m3) in meghalaya, most polluted city in the world.

• Delhi – It continued to see high levels of pollution (91.6 µg/m3), which almost unchanged from 92.7 µg/m3 in 2023.
• Top 5 polluted cities – Rourkela, Nagpur, Nasik, Asansol and Gurugram.
• Top 5 cleanest cities – Varanasi, Prayagraj, Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Chennai.

References

1. The Indian Express| World Air Quality Report, 2024
2. IQAir| World Air Quality Report Summary