Six of the top ten cities plagued by the worst pollution on the Air Quality Index are from the South Asian region. Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata from India, Lahore and Karachi from Pakistan, and Dhaka from Bangladesh.
Post-Diwali, the air quality index in India is pretty bad as three of its highly-populated cities are facing a rise in air pollution. While Delhi is at the top, Mumbai and Kolkata are competing closely for the sixth and seventh spot on the chart.
Lahore has seen a major drop in the past few days after a short spell of rain, however, the air is steadily getting dense as it retained its second position in the chart for two days in a row. Karachi holds the fourth spot after Baghdad.
The Capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, is a relatively new entrant. It holds the tenth position with an “unhealthy” status in air quality.
Population growth and rapid industrialization are the two major factors contributing to the thickening of air with particulate pollutants in South Asia. This is a threat to all living beings, from animals to plants. Life expectancy is severely reduced in these cities and pollution-related illnesses are rampant. The situation of the poor quality index calls for strict action to be taken for the safety of residents of the world’s most populous region-South Asia.
