Death by air: Indian cities top the chart

It is death by breath in India’s top cities. A recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) says 14 out of the 15 most-polluting cities in the world are in India.

And move over Delhi, it is Kanpur that tops the global charts, while UP walks away with the dubious distinction of hosting four of the 10 most choking cities.

No respite for Mumbaiites, too, as India’s financial capital is now ranked at No. 5 in the list of highly polluted mega cities.


The WHO findings are surely a wake-up call for the Modi government, which ironically has been making a lot of noise about its Clean India campaign, Swachh Bharat.

The only silver lining is the fact that India, according to the WHO, has made some rapid progress in monitoring the air quality on a regular basis.

There is also a word of praise for the government’s efforts to provide free LPG connections to the poor under the Ujjwala Yojana project.

Experts warn that the government will have to work hard to strike a balance between rapid economic progress and environment protection.

Also, there is also a lot to learn from China, the world’s manufacturing engine, with none of its cities finding a mention in the Filthy 15 list.

On ET NOW’s India Development Debate, environmentalists and political party leaders discussed ways to curb air pollution in India’s top cities.

Here are some suggestions: