The number of Indian cities in the list of the world's most polluted cities has climbed to three after Kolkata and Mumbai joined the already-listed Indian capital New Delhi on Monday.
A day after Indians celebrated Diwali — the Hindu festival of light — the air quality rose to 430 in New Delhi, according to Swiss group IQAir after the ban on firecrackers was violated in several areas of the city during the celebrations on Sunday.
People were seen gathering at local parks to bursting crackers which resulted in heavy smoke in the air, creating a thick layer of smog.
While New Delhi topped the list of the world's top 10 polluted cities, the city of Kolkata took the fourth spot with AQI at 196, according to IQAir. Lastly, Mumbai ranked at number 9 on the list with an AQI of 156.
According to Mint, the Bombay High Court had permitted the busting of firecrackers only for three hours between 7pm and 10pm for Sunday's Diwali celebrations. However, the Supreme Court, in its November 7 order, emphasised a blanket ban on fireworks across all the states.
According to the Principal Programme Manager of the Air Pollution Control Cell at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Vivek Chattopadhyaya, the bursting of crackers has caused an increase in air pollution, resulting in a very poor air quality index in several regions.
To address the issue, he demanded strict control measures to be implemented throughout the city.
A level of 400-500 on the AQI affects healthy individuals and poses a threat to those who already have illnesses, whereas a level of 150-200 causes pain for those who have heart, lung, and asthma issues. A score of 0 to 50 is regarded as good.
Here are the top 10 cities in the world with high air pollution (AQI), as reported by Mint on Monday:
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