Delhi has been identified as the capital city with the poorest air quality, according to a new report.
The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 12.2 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's normal, on Tuesday. The humidity level at 8.30 am was recorded at 69 per cent, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was recorded in the poor category with a reading of 219, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 9 am.
The 2022 World Air Quality Report included data from 7,323 locations in 131 countries, regions and territories. In 2023, those numbers have grown to include 7,812 locations in 134 countries, regions and territories.
Causing an estimated one in every nine deaths worldwide, air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to human health.
According to the WHO, air pollution is responsible for an estimated seven million premature deaths worldwide every year.
Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution leads to and exacerbates numerous health conditions, including but not limited to asthma, cancer, stroke and lung disease.
Exposure to elevated levels of fine particles can impair cognitive development in children, lead to mental health issues, and complicate existing illnesses, including diabetes.
With an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre, India had the third worst air quality out of 134 countries in 2023 after Bangladesh and Pakistan, according to the World Air Quality Report 2023 by Swiss organisation IQAir.
Delhi's PM2.5 levels worsened from 89.1 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022 to 92.7 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023.