A near-halt in normal life made the world a quieter place to live. We saw the clear blue skies, the chorus of chirping crickets and screeching owls. And slowly when we were habituated with the lockdown, we saw something that was not seen in decades. We saw animals walking down urban streets and one could see the snow-capped Himalayas from Jalandhar !
According to a new study published today, India is home to 22 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities, with Delhi ranking as the world’s most polluted capital city.
” India continues to feature prominently at the top of the most polluted cities ranking, with 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities globally,” the report said.
 Delhi Sees A Spike In Air Pollution Again
During Covid-19, the restrictions allowed nature to heal and reboot in Delhi, which was previously known for its polluted air.
Social campaigns from decades tried to make us understand the value of blue skies and still pushing for a sustainable mechanism that will allow the city to remain pollution-free and breathe easy in long term even without covid-19, quoting update from India Today
Besides Delhi, the 21 other Indian cities among the 30 most polluted cities in the world are Ghaziabad, Bulandshahar, Bisrakh Jalalpur, Noida, Greater Noida, Kanpur, Lucknow, Meerut, Agra and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, Bhiwari in Rajasthan, Faridabad, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, Bandhwari, Gurugram, Yamuna Nagar, Rohtak and Dharuhera in Haryana, and Muzaffarpur in Bihar, quoting update from NDTV
As per the report, the top most polluted city is Xinjiang in China followed by nine Indian cities. Ghaziabad is the second most polluted city in the world followed by Bulandshahar, Bisrakh Jalalpur, Noida, Greater Noida, Kanpur, Lucknow and Bhiwari.
“India continues to feature prominently at the top of the most polluted cities ranking, with 22 of the top 30 most polluted cities globally,” the report said.
“The year 2020 brought an unexpected dip in air pollution. In 2021, we will likely see an increase in air pollution due to human activity, again. We hope this report will highlight that urgent action is both possible and necessary to combat air pollution, which remains the world’s greatest environmental health threat,” said CEO of IQAir Frank Hammes.
Major Sources Of India’s Air Pollution
According to Avinash Chanchal, Climate Campaigner at Greenpeace India, policymakers should prioritise renewable and clean energy sources, and that cities should facilitate low-cost, active, and carbon-neutral mobility alternatives like walking, cycling, and public transportation.
Although many cities, including Delhi, have witnessed modest improvements in air quality as a result of lockdowns, the health and economic costs of air pollution remain high, according to Avinash Chanchal, Climate Campaigner at Greenpeace India.
“The transportation sector is one of the major contributors to India’s leading PM2.5 emission sources across cities, the report said.
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