India definitely faces a huge challenge in terms of breathing cleaner air but WHO experts have acknowledged that many countries are in such a pathetic situation that they do not even have monitoring system. Their air could be more polluted than the above-mentioned cities of India but we have no way to include them in the list.
Zabol in Iran attained the first position in the list of dirtiest air quality. This place witnesses several months of dust storm activities and recorded a PM 2.5 measure of 217. Zabol was followed by Gwalior, Allahabad, Patna and Raipur.
New Delhi has come down to the ninth position with an average annual PM 2.5 measurement of 122. The amount of particulate matter in the Indian capital is under 2.5 micrograms found in every cubic metre of air.
Check the Delhi's current Pollution status here
Such tiny particulate matter can cause a host of life-threatening diseases including lung cancer, strokes and heart disease over the long term. Air pollution can also trigger heart attacks that will kill more rapidly. The WHO has also confirmed that about 7 million premature deaths across the world occur due to air pollution annually.
Breathable clean air still seems a distant dream in India. The reason being increasing number of cars, the heating and cooling process of big buildings, inefficient waste management and the use of coal or diesel generators for power supply.
Image credit - The Guardian