全球空气质量最新报告显示，全球空气污染最严重的城市大多在印度，反观多个中国城市包括北京的空气质量近几年有所改善。
IQAir AirVisual 周二（25日）公布的报告显示，在全球空气素质最差的20个城市当中，印度城市占了14个，首都新德里还排在全球空气污染最严重城市的第5位。北京则排名第199位，比3年前的第84位进步了不少。
虽然印度政府有推出政策应对空气污染的问题，但是新德里的情况仍持续恶化。该报告说，虽然印度北部的空气污染情况非常严重，但是政府却还是将经济增长至于优先考量。不少当地居民也不清楚空气污染对健康带来的危害，有关当局也缺乏资源，无法采取适当和足够的措施来遏止空气污染。
报告指出，由于印度、中国和亚洲国家城市人口密集，车辆繁多，再加上燃煤电厂和工业排放量，因此在不同程度上还是受严重空气污染的影响。
世界卫生组织估计，每年约有700万人因较差的空气质量而丧命；世界银行也表示，较差的空气质量每年导致全球经济损失5万亿美元。
A new report monitoring pollution in the world revealed that 14 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India.
The 2019 World Air Quality Report published on Tuesday by IQAir AirVisual showed that Ghaziabad topped the charts of most polluted cities in 2019. It had an annual average PM 2.5 concentration of 110.2.
Delhi, the capital city of India, is the most polluted capital city in the world, with PM 2.5 concentration of 98.6.
The World Health Organisation’s PM 2.5 standards say annual mean of 10 micrograms/cubic metre should be maintained.
The report noted a 20 percent decrease in national air pollution in India between 2018 and 2019 across 98 percent of the cities. However, it attributed the decrease to the economic slowdown in the country.
Whilst cities in India, on average, exceed the WHO target for annual PM2.5 exposure by 500 percent, national air pollution decreased by 20 percent from 2018 to 2019, with 98 percent of cities experiencing improvements. These improvements are believed to be largely a result of economic slow-down.
A statement issued by IQAir AirVisual
Industrial activities and vehicular traffic are significant contributors to air pollution in the Indian cities, along with rampant construction.
“While the new coronavirus is dominating international headlines, a silent killer is contributing to nearly 7 million more deaths a year: air pollution. Through compiling and visualising data from thousands of air quality monitoring stations, the 2019 World Air Quality Report gives new context to the world’s leading environmental health threat,” Frank Hammes, CEO of IQAir, said.
Source: Zaobao / Xinhua
