Q. With respect to the World Air Quality Report, 2021, consider the following statements:
Bangladesh was the most polluted country in the world for the fifth time in a row.
Dhaka was the second most polluted city in the world just below New Delhi.
Bhiwandi was the most polluted city in the world.
Which of the statements given above are correct? Answer:
Only 2 & 3
Notes:
The 2021 World Air Quality Report was released recently by IQAir, a Swiss group that measures air quality levels based on the concentration of Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5. The report presented an overview of the state of global air quality in 2021.
Bangladesh was the most polluted country in the world in 2021. Bangladesh recorded an average PM2.5 level of 76.9 micrograms per cubic metre in 2021 against the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended maximum permissible level of 5 micrograms per cubic metre. Earlier, in 2018, 2019 and 2020 also Bangladesh was found to be the most polluted country in the world.
The data reveals that not a single country in the world managed to meet the WHO’s air quality standard in 2021.
All over the world, 93 cities reported PM 2.5 levels at 10 times the recommended level.
Among the cities, Dhaka was the second most polluted city in the world with a PM 2.5 level of 78.1 just below New Delhi which had a PM 2.5 level of 85.1 in 2021.
New Delhi continues to be the world’s most polluted capital city for the fourth consecutive year. As per the report, in 2021, India was home to 11 of the 15 most polluted cities in Central and also in South Asia. 35 Indian cities have been listed by the index under the worst air quality tag for 2021. Bhiwadi, Rajasthan topped this list and was followed Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.