British company HouseFresh has released a report on the 50 ‘most polluted cities’ in the world in 2020 titled – ‘The World’s Best and Worst Towns and Cities for Clean Air’, in which, Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad ranked as the 2nd most polluted city in the world in 2020.
- China’s Hotan city in Xinjiang province topped the list and was adjudged as the most polluted city.
- As per the report, India became the 3rd most polluted country. Bangladesh ranked as the most polluted country across the world in 2020 followed by Pakistan, India and Mongolia.
- Out of the 50 most polluted cities of the world, 49 are in Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, and India.
Key Points:
i.HouseFresh has prepared the report of the world’s best and worst places for clean air in 2020 based on the average Air Quality Index (AQI) of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 concentration in µg/m³ by collecting data from Swiss air quality expert IQAir.
ii.List of Most Polluted Cities in 2020:
| Rank | City Name | PM2.5 level |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hotan city in Xinjiang province, China | 110.2 µg/m3 |
| 2 | Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India | 106.6 µg/m3 |
| 3 | Manikganj, Bangladesh | 80.2µg/m3 |
iii.List of Cities with Cleanest air in 2020:
| Rank | City Name | PM2.5 level |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tasmanian city of Judbury, Australia | 2.4µg/m3 |
| 2 | Kailua Kona in Hawaii, United States | 2.6µg/m3 |
| 3 | Muonio, Finland | 2.8µg/m3 |
- Countries with less than 5 cities were not included in the list
Note – PM2.5 – It refers to particulate matter that has a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometres and remains suspended in the air for a longer time.
iv.The cause of pollution:
- Hotan – The air pollution of this city is mainly caused by local sandstorms. The city is near to the Taklimakan Desert, the world’s largest shifting sand desert.
- Ghaziabad – The high level of air pollution of this city was mainly contributed by the vast traffic volume.
v.Report by IQAir:
i.Another report by IQAir placed 22 Indian cities including Bulandshahr, Bhiwandi, Noida, Greater Noida, Kanpur, Lucknow, Delhi, Faridabad and Meerut in the top 30 most polluted cities list.
ii.It ranked North American tropical island city Kailua Kona, Hawaii, with a PM2.5 of 2.6µg/m3 as the cleanest city.
Recent Related News:
As per the ‘2020 World Air Quality Report’ released by IQAir (Swiss Air Technology Company), India was the 3rd Most Polluted Country in the World in 2020 after Bangladesh & Pakistan. Delhi was the most polluted Capital City for the 3rd consecutive time; it was followed by Dhaka (Bangladesh) & Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia).
About Uttar Pradesh:
Chief Minister – Yogi Adityanath
Wildlife Sanctuary – Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, Mahaveer Swami WL Sanctuary, Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary
Zoological Park – Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden, Kanpur Zoological Park
