Delhi remains world's most polluted capital for 3rd straight year, says study

The study is based on India's annual average of particulate matter PM2.5, airborne particles with less than 2.5 microns in diameter.

New Delhi has remained the world's most polluted capital for third straight year in 2020, according to a study done by IQAir, a Swiss group that measures air quality levels based on the concentration of lung-damaging airborne particles known as PM2.5.

The study said that last year, Delhi's average annual concentration of PM2.5 in a cubic meter of air was 84.1

The study is based on India's annual average of particulate matter PM2.5, airborne particles with less than 2.5 microns in diameter.

The air quality improvements across major cities in 2020 compared to 2019 include Beijing (-11%), Chicago (-13%), Delhi (-15%), London (-16%), Paris (-17%) and Seoul (-16%).

“While many cities recorded temporary improvements in air quality due to lockdowns, the health impact of burning fossil fuels remained severe. Unfortunately, Delhi continued to be the most polluted capital city in the world in 2020. To see real, long-term improvements in air quality, governments must prioritize clean energy sources such as wind and solar and promote low cost, carbon neutral and accessible transport. Speeding up the transition to clean energy and clean transport not only saves lives, but also dramatically reduces healthcare-related costs,” said Avinash Chanchal, Climate Campaigner, Greenpeace India, according to IQAir.

The study said that last year, Delhi's average annual concentration of PM2.5 in a cubic meter of air was 84.1, which was more than double the level of Beijing, which averaged 37.5 during the year.

According to a recent study by Greenpeace Southeast Asia Analysis and IQAir, air pollution caused an estimated 54,000 premature deaths in Delhi in 2020.

Last year, Delhi's residents, who breathed some of the cleanest air on record in summer months due to the coronavirus lockdown, battled toxic air in winter, following a sharp increase in farm fire incidents in the neighbouring states of Punjab.