As per the CPCB’s air quality index, Karnataka’s Madikeri recorded the best air quality in India. The cities with ‘good’ air quality also include Amravati Bidar, Eloor, Kochi, Kolar, Mysuru, Puducherry & Tirupati. India has 22 out of the 30 most polluted cities in the world. New Delhi for the third consecutive year, is the world’s most polluted capital according to the ‘World Air Quality Report, 2020’, prepared by Swiss organisation, IQAir. Despite being the most polluted capital in the world the report shows that the air quality in the city has improved by 15 per cent from 2019 to 2020. IQAir measures air quality levels depending on the concentration PM2.5. These are lung-damaging airborne particles. Read on to know more.
Temuco In Chile Is Also Has Worse Air Quality
The sleepy city of Temuco, in Central Chile, has left behind the notoriously polluted megacity cities. And has now become the most polluted city in the world. Temuco ranked near the bottom in the earlier air quality rankings. But now it even beat heavily polluted global cities like New Delhi and Beijing. According to data from IQAir, on April 7, only two cities from India figured in the top 20 most polluted places.
The Cold Winters Forces People To Burn Cheap Firewood Which Gives Rise To Pollution
But this has got nothing to with the city’s contamination from economic activity. This is because of a direct result of poverty. During the months of June to August, the temperatures in Temuco dropped down to as low as 4º Celsius. This is when the Southern Hemisphere experiences winter. The extreme cold forces city residents to burn cheap or even wet firewood to keep themselves warm.
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A 60-year old resident from Temuco, Patricia Bravo states to media houses “It’s like living in a city with permanent fog, except its chimney smoke.” Bravo informed that she lived here since she was a young girl. The senior resident got used to itchy eyes, the smell of heavy smoke in her living room during the winter. She says she can sometimes only see half of the block down the street in her neighbourhood due to the grey smoke.
Around 25 Out Of 30 Most Polluted Cities In South America Are In Chile
According to data compiled by Bloomberg Green and the non-profit OpenAQ, Temuco is one of the most polluted cities in the world. It’s had the worst air quality in the world for at least five days in the past few weeks. Moreover, as the air quality worsens, the range of health ailments also increases parallelly. As per the 2019 annual report by Swiss consulting firm IQAir, 25 out of South America’s 30 most polluted cities are in Chile.
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Temuco is a valley nestled in Central Chile near the lakes and snow-capped mountains. It’s one of the first Chilean cities to be put under quarantine in April. This might also be one of the possible reasons for growing pollution. The lockdown forced everyone to stay indoors. The burning woods create soot and give rise to microscopic particles. Hereby contributing to pollution. When it comes to the cleanest air on Earth, scientists discover it to be near Antarctica.