Leaving behind Delhi, Mumbai emerged as the most polluted city in India and the second-most polluted city globally, as per real-time air quality monitor IqAir
Swiss air tracking index IQAir measures air quality in India using data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). It categorises the air quality as per US AQI standards into Healthy, Unhealthy and Hazardous
The CPCB data underlined that Poor and Very Poor days in Mumbai in November-January this winter season were more than double over the three previous winters
On February 13, Mumbai took over Delhi as the most polluted city in India. Later it became the second unhealthiest city worldwide for air quality
1. Lahore (Pakistan)
2. Mumbai (India)
3. Kabul (Afghanistan)
4. Kaohsiung (Taiwan)
5. Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
Delhi does not feature in the top 10 most-polluted cities. The other cities include:
6. Accra (Ghana)
7. Krakow (Poland)
8. Doha (Qatar)
9. Astana (Kazakhstan)
10. Santiago (Chile)
Experts have blamed rapid construction, adverse weather conditions and increasing pollution from vehicle emissions for the deteriorating air quality
A 2020 study by NEERI and IIT-B has stated that road or construction dust is the main source of air pollution as there is heavy concentration (about 71 per cent) of the particulate matter in Mumbai's air. The remaining comes from industrial and power units, airports, and garbage dumps
Road travel accounts for 80% of Mumbai’s fossil fuel emissions. Rampant realty and road construction activities account for over 71% of PM in Mumbai’s air. Dumping grounds are also a massive problem
Bad air quality in Indian cities is causing serious health issues to people. A Lancet study reported that pollution led to more than 2.3 million premature deaths in India in 2019
IQAir stated that about US$2.9 billion in funds was lost due to falling air quality worldwide in 2020-21