This Indian city was ranked the world's most polluted in 2024. It's not Delhi

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

Byrnihat in Meghalaya has been named the most polluted city in the world according to Swiss Group IQAir's annual pollution report for 2024, surprising many who usually expect Delhi to hold that spot. However, India's capital still ranks second on the list.
The Central Pollution Control Board has also declared Byrnihat the most polluted urban area in India for the second consecutive year, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 302, placing it in the 'very poor' category.
Amid rising pollution, the Meghalaya Cabinet, chaired by chief minister Conrad Sangma, approved a vehicle scrappage policy on May 1 aimed at reducing emissions across the state. Government spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh explained that the policy targets old, unfit vehicles, with about 13,000 cars expected to be removed from the roads—5,000 government-owned and 8,000 privately owned.
Lyngdoh said that this policy will help lower pollution by cutting emissions, reduce fuel imports, and decrease the need for raw material extraction and recycling.
While Delhi is often assumed to be the most polluted city, it ranks second, followed by Karaganda in Kazakhstan in third place. Mullanpur in Punjab, India, is fourth, with Lahore in Pakistan in fifth. Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan is sixth, N'Djamena in Chad is seventh, and Loni in Uttar Pradesh, India, is eighth. New Delhi comes in ninth, and Faridabad in Haryana completes the top 10 list.
Continuing the list of the world's most polluted cities in 2024, Multan in Pakistan ranks 11th, followed by Peshawar at 12th and Faisalabad at 13th. Sialkot, also in Pakistan, holds the 14th position.
Indian cities Gurugram in Haryana and Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan are placed 15th and 16th, respectively. Hotan in China comes in at 17th, while Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and Bhiwadi (Rajasthan) rank 18th and 19th. Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh secures the 20th spot.
Further down the list, Hanumangarh in Rajasthan ranks 21st, followed by Noida in Uttar Pradesh at 22nd. Pindi Bhattian in Pakistan is 23rd, with Ballabgarh (Haryana) and Mandi Gobindgarh (Punjab) at 24th and 25th places, respectively.
Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital, takes the 26th position, while Bahadurgarh in Haryana ranks 27th. Sreepur in Bangladesh is 28th, followed by Charsadda in Pakistan at 29th. Faridabad in Haryana rounds out the top 30 at 30th place.