World Air Quality Report 2023

World Air Quality Report 2023

News: Recently, IQAir released the 6th edition of the World Air Quality Report 2023.

About IQAir:
 IQAir is a Swiss technology company. 
 The data in report was gathered from more than 30,000 air quality monitoring stations across 7,812 locations in 134 countries and regions.

Key Findings:
 A total of 124 (92.5%) out of 134 countries and regions exceeded the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline value of 5 µg/m3.
 Top 5 most polluted countries in the world in 2023 included: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and Burkina Faso. For the first time in the history of this report, Canada was the most polluted country in Northern America.

India specific findings:
 India was declared as the third-most polluted country in 2023. 
 India has an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre.
 96% of the Indian population experience PM2.5 levels more than seven times the WHO annual PM2.5 guidelines. 
 In the top 50 most polluted cities in the world, 42 cities were in India. Begusarai was the most polluted metropolitan area of 2023, followed by Guwahati and then Delhi.
 Silchar in Assam (7th), Aizawl in Mizoram (8th) and Damoh in Madhya Pradesh (15th) were the least polluted cities in the central and south Asia region.
 Seven countries which met the WHO annual PM2.5 guidelines (annual average of 5 µg/m3 or less) included Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand.

What are the steps taken by Government of India to combat Air Pollution?
 National Clean Air Programme (NCAP): Launched in 2019, NCAP is a comprehensive initiative with the goal of reducing air pollution in identified cities and regions across India. The program focuses on improving air quality monitoring, implementing stricter emission standards, and promoting public awareness.
 Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) Emission Standards: The government implemented BS-VI emission standards for vehicles nationwide in 2020. These standards aim to reduce vehicular emissions by mandating the use of cleaner fuel and more advanced emission control technologies.
 Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY): The PMUY scheme aims to provide clean cooking fuel to households by promoting the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as an alternative to traditional biomassbased cooking methods. 
 FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) Scheme: The FAME scheme promotes the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles to reduce air pollution caused by vehicular emissions. Financial and tax incentives are provided to both manufacturers and consumers to encourage the use of electric vehicles.
 Commission for Air Quality Management: The Commission has been set up for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas for better coordination, research, identification, and resolution of problems surrounding the air quality index.
 Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP): It is a set of emergency measures that kick in to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region.