INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Not a single country managed to meet the World Health Organization&s (WHO) air quality standard in 2021, a survey of pollution data in 6,475
cities showed on Tuesday, and smog even rebounded in some regions after a COVID-related dip.The WHO recommends that average annual readings
of small and hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 should be no more than 5 micrograms per cubic metre after changing its guidelines
last year, saying that even low concentrations caused significant health risks, Reuters reported.But only 3.4% of the surveyed cities met
the standard in 2021, according to data complied by IQAir, a Swiss pollution technology company that monitors air quality
As many as 93 cities saw PM2.5 levels at 10 times the recommended level.There are a lot of countries that are making big strides in
reduction,& said Christi Schroeder, air quality science manager with IQAir
&China started with some very big numbers and they are continuing to decrease over time
But there are also places in the world where it is getting significantly worse.India&s overall pollution levels worsened in 2021 and New
Delhi remained the world&s most polluted capital, the data showed
Bangladesh was the most polluted country, also unchanged from the previous year, while Chad ranked second after the African country&s data
was included for the first time.The post No country met WHO air quality standards in 2021 first appeared on Ariana News.
