News Desk |
Seven cities of India are listed in the top ten of recent World’s Most Polluted cities list issued by AirVisuals. The list also includes the two cities of Pakistan as well.
As per the study, the city of Gurugram, India is leading the list of world’s cities in terms of pollution with the second spot also getting reserved by India’s Ghaziabad.
The city of Faisalabad has unfortunately gained the third spot in the list. Faisalabad in the list is followed by other five cities of India. The cities of Faridabad, Bhiwadi, Noida, and Patna are ranked respectively in the list.
China has also made a marked improvement in controlling pollution in its cities. The Index suggests the concentration of harmful particles in China have fallen by 12% in 2018 from the previous year.
The only city outside of India and Pakistan in the list is China’s Hotan placed at the eighth spot. Another city of India, Patna is placed at ninth position followed by Lahore, Pakistan on the tenth spot. In the first 30 most polluted cities, 22 cities listed are of India.
The study indicates the alarming level of air pollution and deteriorating air quality. The study also warns the existent level of air pollution may endanger the lives of seven million people living globally. The index measures the presence of fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, a pollutant that can fester deep in the lungs and bloodstream of human beings.
The Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Yeb Sano had expressed concerns over the deteriorating environmental conditions of the region.
Read more: India pollution watchdog fines Delhi over toxic smog
Sano stated, “This has enormous impacts, on our health and on our wallets. In addition to human lives lost. “In addition to human lives lost, there’s an estimated cost of $225 billion in lost labor and trillions in medical costs.”
Meanwhile, the latest satellite images released by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shows that Pakistan is the fastest greening country in the world due to the recent reforestation projects including the Billion Tree Tsunami initiative taken by premier Imran Khan.
NASA’s images are endorsed by the United Nations, Bonn Convention, and the World Economic Forum. The arable land in Pakistan has grown rapidly in the last four to five years.
Read more: Taj Mahal in decay: Paying the price of India’s pollution
China has also made a marked improvement in controlling pollution in its cities. The Index suggests the concentration of harmful particles in China have fallen by 12% in 2018 from the previous year.