Context

• According to the World Air Quality Report 2023 of the Swiss organization IQAir, Bangladesh remained the country with the most polluted air in the world. Pakistan is at second place in this list of 134 countries.
• Whereas India remained the third most polluted air country in 2023.

Background

• It is noteworthy that in the year 2022, India was ranked eighth in the list of countries with polluted air.

Key Points

• IQ Air has released this year's data by collecting data from more than 30,000 air quality monitoring stations and research institutes, universities and government agencies.
• According to a recently released report, New Delhi was the capital with the worst air when compared among the capitals of 134 countries. Begusarai of Bihar is the most polluted metropolis in the world.
• In this report, ranking of countries, capitals and cities has been done on the basis of PM 2.5 particles.
• According to this, 1.33 billion i.e. 96% people in India live in such air in which the level of PM 2.5 is 7 times more than the WHO annual standard.
• In 66% of the cities of the country, the annual PM 2.5 level was more than 35 micrograms per cubic meter.
• It is noteworthy that last year the average level of PM 2.5 in India was 54.4 micrograms in 1 cubic meter. This was 10 times more than the WHO scale.
• According to WHO, 7 million people die every year due to polluted air in the world.
• And among the dead, 1 out of every 9 people is dying due to bad air.

About PM 2.5 particles

• It is a type of particulate matter, whose diameter is 2.5 micrometers or less.
• These are very small particles, which spoil the air quality.
• These are a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets present in the atmosphere, which are not visible to the naked eye.
• Some particles are so small that they can only be detected using an electron microscope.
• Exposure to PM 2.5 can cause many diseases. These include asthma, cancer, stroke and lung disease.
• At the same time, exposure to high levels of these microscopic particles has a negative impact on the growth of children. They may have mental health problems and the risk of diabetes also increases.

Efforts made by India to control air pollution

• System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)
• Air quality index
• Problem for electric vehicles (EVs)
• Air Quality Management Commission

Important Facts For Exams

IQAir

• IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, produces the annual World Air Quality Report based on data from monitoring stations operated by governments and other institutions and organizations around the world.
• Founded : 1963 
• Headquarters : Goldach Switzerland