Kohima ranks 465th most polluted city globally

DIMAPUR — Kohima was ranked as the 465th most polluted city out of the 7812 cities evaluated in 2023 for the World Air Quality Report.

According to the report , released by the Swiss air monitoring body, IQAir, the annual average PM2.5 concentration in Kohima is currently at 33.9 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3), which is five to seven times the World Health Organisation (WHO) annual air quality guideline value.

PM2.5 concentration refers to the concentration of particulate matter (PM) that is 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter in the air. These particles can include substances such as dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets that are inhalable and can pose significant health risks.

As per the report, Kohima’s PM2.5 concentration was 17.7 ug/m3 in 2021 and it increased to 26.0 ug/m3 in 2022.

Meanwhile, an overview of the current air quality in Kohima indicated an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 126 which corresponds to the ‘Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups’ category.

At present, the PM2.5 concentration in Kohima is at 45.7, which is 9.1 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value

India third most polluted country

Overall, India has been named the third most polluted country with 54.4 ug/m3, which is more than 10 times higher than the WHO PM2.5 guideline.

Bangladesh was the most polluted with 79.9 ug/m3, while Pakistan with 73.7 ug/m3, was ranked second.

Out of the top 50 most polluted cities in the world, 42 cities were in India with Begusarai in Bihar as the most polluted metropolitan area of 2023, followed by Guwahati and then Delhi.

The IQAR stated that the report summarises PM2.5 air quality data from 7,812 cities spanning 134 countries, regions, and territories, and the data for the report was aggregated from more than 30,000 air quality monitoring stations operated by research institutions, governmental bodies, universities and educational facilities, non-profit organisations, private companies, and citizen scientists.

Globally,  only even countries which met the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline (annual average of 5 µg/m3 or less) included Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand and 124 out of the 134 countries and regions exceeded 5 ug/m3.