Three cities in India, including the capital New Delhi, two in Pakistan, the European capital, and Wuhan, the city where the COVID-19 pandemic began, are among the top ten cities with the highest levels of air pollution, according to a new ranking compiled by the Swiss company IQAir. quoted by Reuters.

India’s capital, New Delhi, ranks first with an air quality index of 420 units, according to the AQI index calculated by a Swiss company. A wave of toxic smog once again engulfed the Indian capital this month, and authorities ordered the closure of some schools after several weeks.

An AQI of 0 to 50 is considered adequate, while values ​​of 400 to 500 affect healthy people and pose a risk to people with pre-existing conditions. New Delhi’s AQI is 407, far behind the second most polluted city in the world: Pakistan’s Lahore with an AQI of 180.

In third place is the capital of Iraq, Baghdad, with an AQI of 177. Karachi, another city in Pakistan, is in fourth place (with an AQI of 168), and the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina is in 5th place, being the only European city. in this top-10 negative air pollution.

The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the most polluted city in Europe

In May of this year, the World Bank approved a $50.8 million loan to help Bosnia and Herzegovina fight air pollution. This Balkan country has one of the highest levels of fine particulate matter pollution in Europe, with around 50% of the pollution coming from burning fossil fuels.

The World Bank also estimates that 20% of fine particulate air pollution in Bosnia and Herzegovina is caused by cars. Bosnia and Herzegovina received EU candidate status in December, which means it will have to bring its tax standards in line with those of the EU bloc.

Sarajevo is usually among the most polluted cities in the world in terms of air quality before the winter months, as are some cities in India.

Mumbai and Kolkata, two other cities in India, are ranked 6th and 7th, as air pollution in India rises every year ahead of winter as the cold air traps pollutants from cars, industry, construction work and waste burning.

The ranking of the world’s 10 largest cities in terms of air pollution is completed by Kuwait, Doha and Wuhan, the industrial city of China where the COVID-19 pandemic began.