World Air Quality Report by IQAir was recently released and it indeed raised warning bells for the world, especially India. As per IQAir report, the world’s 100 worst polluted cities are in Asia, and 83 of them are in just one country i.e. India. In fact, the sixth Annual World Air Quality Report identified Bihar's Begusarai as the most polluted city in 2023. This alarming revelation comes amidst broader concerns over air pollution levels worldwide, with the report detailing the state of air quality across various countries, territories, and regions. Notably, World Air Quality Report has also released country-wise air quality and the most polluted cities report. Therefore, True Scoop News tried to dig more and found five Punjabi cities in the list and also the Union Terririty Chandigarh.
Most Polluted cities of Punjab in 2023
1) Mullanpur- Located in the Ludhiana district, Mullanpur was the most polluted city of Punjab in the year 2023. With an average PM2.5 concentration of 100.4 micrograms per cubic metre, Mullanpur was the most polluted city in Punjab in 2023. It is at number 9 in overall India list.
For those who are unaware when inhaled, PM2.5 travels deep into lung tissue where it can enter the bloodstream. It comes from sources like the combustion of fossil fuels, dust storms and wildfires, and has been linked to asthma, heart and lung disease, cancer, and other respiratory illnesses, as well as cognitive impairment in children. For instance, Begusarai (Bihar) last year was the most polluted city with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 118.9 — 23 times the WHO guidelines.
2) Fatehgarh Sahib- Ranked 62nd in the list, Fatehgarh Sahib was the second most polluted city in Punjab in 2023. With an average PM2.5 concentration of 66.6 micrograms per cubic metre, Fatehgarh Sahib was the second most polluted city in Punjab in 2023.
3) Ludhiana- Ludhiana is at number 80 in terms of the most polluted cities of Punjab in the year 2023. However, its rank in India is 80 as per the World Air Quality Report.
4) Amritsar- Amritsar ranked 89 in India in terms of the most polluted cities in 2023. However, in the overall report, Amritsar ranked 82.
5) Jalandhar- Jalandhar ranked 122 in India in terms of the most polluted cities in 2023. Jalandhar ranked 122 with an average PM2.5 concentration of 51.4 micrograms per cubic metre.
6) Doburji- Doburji ranked 137 in India in terms of the most polluted cities in 2023. Doburji is a village in Batala in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
7) Patiala- Patiala ranked 180 in India in terms of the most polluted cities in 2023.
8) Bathinda- Bathinda ranked 189 in India in terms of the most polluted cities in 2023 as per World Air Quality Index report.