This Indian city ranks second in the list of 10 most polluted cities. Hint: Not Delhi

However, Delhi is not included in the recently released list of ten most polluted cities in the world. This time was saved by Rank Capital city of Maharashtra- Mumbai,

The list released by Swiss Air Tracking Index IQAir (a real-time worldwide air quality monitor) shows that Mumbai ranks second in the list of ten most polluted cities in the world.

Notably, on 29 January, Mumbai was ranked 10th on the list, rapidly rising to the top of the list by 2 February. Mumbai’s air quality had a decent crest and trough before helping the city become the second most polluted city on February 13.

Delhi, however, did not figure in the list at all.

What is IQAir?

IQAir Swiss Air is a tracking index and real-time worldwide air quality monitor. It collaborates with UNEP and Greenpeace and measures air quality in India using data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Cities are classified into ‘healthy’, unhealthy’ and ‘hazardous’ according to US Air Quality Index (AQI) standards, which are more stringent than India’s.

10 most polluted cities in the world

1. Lahore (Pakistan)

2. Mumbai (India)

3. Kabul (Afghanistan)

4. Kaohsiung (Taiwan)

5. Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)

6. Accra (Ghana)

7. Krakow (Poland)

8. Doha (Qatar)

9. Astana (Kazakhstan)

10. Santiago (Chile)

mumbai air quality

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality of India’s financial capital remained in poor and very poor category from November to January.

The data also revealed that the air quality was far worse than the previous three winters that Mumbai had witnessed.

Dust from construction and vehicular emissions made worse mumbai air quality index,

According to a 2020 research by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and IIT-B, road or construction dust contributed to over 71 per cent of the particulate matter in Mumbai’s air. Factories, power plants, airports and garbage dumps produced the rest.