Major Threat: India at 8th Spot in List of the Most Polluted Countries Across World

NEW-DELHI: The Constantly increasing pollution in India has emerged as a major issue, regarding which a report has claimed that India is at 8th position in the list of the most polluted countries in the world. Average particulate matter in Indian cities was found to be 2.5, 53.3 micrograms, which is 10 times higher than the World Health Organization's safe limit.

The Swiss firm 'IQ Air' released its report called 'World Air Quality Report' on Tuesday (March 14). This report has been prepared on the basis of data from 131 countries of the world. According to the World Air Quality Report, the most polluted country in the world is Chad, where the average air pollution level of PM 2.5 has been found to be 89.7. Iraq is the second most polluted country. Along with this, the name of Pakistan is at the third number and the name of Bahrain is at the fourth number. India is at number eight in this list. 

Notably, The report said that due to air pollution, India is estimated to suffer a loss of 150 billion dollars. The biggest contributor to air pollution in India is the transport sector, which pollutes 20-35 percent of the total pollution. Apart from the transportation factor, industry, coal-fired power plants are responsible for pollution.

The list of most polluted cities in the world is a shock for India. It is worth mentioning that 65 of the top 100 most polluted cities are from India. Also, six of the top 10 most polluted cities are from India. Pakistan's Lahore is considered to be the most polluted city in the world. The PM 2.5 level in Lahore has been measured at 97.4. In second place is China's Hotan city, where the PM 2.5 level is 94.3. India's Bhiwari and the capital Delhi are on the third number. The level of PM 2.5 in Delhi has been measured at 92.6. Other Indian cities in the top 10 include Bihar's Darbhanga, Asopur, Patna, New Delhi.