Most Polluted Capital In The World
India still struggles against high and dangerous levels of air pollution, according to the IQAir World Air Quality Report 2024. Of the 20 cities in the country known for pollution, 13 are located in Asia. Byrnihat in Assam has now declared itself the most polluted city in the world. The capital city of India, Delhi, stands at the top of the most polluted capital city by air globally, though this is not a new position. Nevertheless, there is a brighter side, too. India experienced a sort of growth in reducing pollution with its status as the third-most polluted country in 2023, dropping to the fifth-most polluted country in 2024.
Air Quality Trends In India
India saw its annual PM2.5 levels coming down slightly by 7%, to an average concentration of 50.6 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024 from 54.4 in 2023, claimed the report. However, even with some improvement in the parameters of the air of the country, India continues to overshadow the list of Most Polluted Capitals with six out of the ten worst-affected cities coming from it.
This situation has impacted Byrnihat with hazardous levels of pollution, as PM2.5 and PM10 have extensively increased. A total of 43 such industries, including iron and steel plants, cement plants, sawmills, distilleries, and beverage manufacturers, escorted the path to atmospheric pollution. Moreover, the harrowing situation has been worsened by heavy truck traffic due to the town serving as the major transit point between Assam and Meghalaya. The lack of a pollution control board specifically for this area only shores up the point; all the inspections are carried out by officers coming from Shillong, which is located around 70 km from Byrnihat.
Delhi: The Most Polluted Capital City
Delhi continues to face extreme pollution, with an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 91.6 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024—barely an improvement from 92.7 micrograms in 2023. Other Indian cities ranked among the world’s top 20 most polluted include Mullanpur (Punjab), Faridabad, Loni, New Delhi, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh, and Noida.
With more than 10 times WHO’s safety standard for PM2.5 of 5 micrograms per cubic meter, it causes quite a few Indian cities to go a very long way over the WHO recommendation. This radically high air pollution is not just a statistic but a public health emergency. It has the potential to reduce the average lifespan to 5.2 years.
A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health reported that between 2009 and 2019, long-term PM2.5 exposure was linked to 1.5 million deaths in India. The major contributors to this crisis include vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, and agricultural crop burning, all of which lead to severe respiratory diseases, heart conditions, and even cancer.
Top 10 most polluted global cities with the worst AQI in 2024-25
| Rank | City | Country | PM2.5 in 2024 |
| 1 | Byrnihat | India | 128.2 |
| 2 | Delhi | India | 108.3 |
| 3 | Karaganda | Kazakhstan | 104.8 |
| 4 | Mullanpur | India | 102.3 |
| 5 | Lahore | Pakistan | 102.1 |
| 6 | Faridabad | India | 101.2 |
| 7 | Dera Ismail Khan | Pakistan | 93 |
| 8 | N’Djamena | Chad | 91.8 |
| 9 | Loni | India | 91.7 |
| 10 | New Delhi | India | 91.6 |
The Need For Stronger Measures
Discussing pollution with Indian news agency PTI, Soumya Swaminathan stated that strict control measures are needed. Now, India has developed an air quality monitoring system. However, its inconsistency in implementing emission regulations poses the greatest barrier to success.
She suggests several critical measures to tackle the pollution crisis:
- Encouraging a transition from biomass to LPG for cooking to reduce indoor pollution
- Increasing LPG subsidies to make clean cooking fuel more accessible to low-income households
- Expanding public transport infrastructure to reduce vehicular emissions in urban areas
- Enforcing stricter emission standards for industries and construction activities
Swaminathan stresses that a balanced approach—combining incentives for clean energy adoption with penalties for excessive emissions—is essential to achieving long-term improvements. Stronger regulations and enforcement will be key to reducing pollution levels in India’s hardest-hit cities and safeguarding public health.
Final Words
Despite the improvement in India, air pollution remains a huge crisis. Delhi is the most polluted capital city, and Byrnihat is the world’s dirtiest city. The PM2.5 pollution crisis is bad enough to be responsible for severe health impacts in terms of respiratory disease, heart disease, and reduced life expectancy.
Tackling this problem requires a multi-faceted approach—harder enforcement of pollution laws, more vigorous promotion of cleaner fuels, and funding for green public transport. An effort that encompasses government policy, economic incentives, and public campaigns is required to check pollution and protect millions from its harmful effects. Unless curbed by prompt and effective measures, air pollution will continue to be one of India’s most pressing public health and environmental concerns.
