India makes up for half of the 50 most polluted cities in the world, Gurugram tops the list

After Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Bhiwandi, Noida, Patna, Lucknow, New Delhi, Jodhpur and Muzaffarpur are the ten most polluted cities in India and make up for the top 13 globally, as per the report.

The root of the air pollution has been shortlisted to stubble burning in North India, which plays a major role in degrading the air quality, along with construction activities.

Air pollution, both outside and inside homes, is a silent and prolific killer responsible behind the premature death of seven million people each year, including 6,00,000 children, says David Boyd, a UN expert on environment and human rights.

India tops China in the category of world's most polluted cities. However, out of China's 50 cities, 22 cities are in the list already with Hotan ranked as number eight with a PM 2.5 2018 average of 116.

The remaining three cities, out of the 50, are from Pakistan (2 cities) and Bangladesh (1 city). Pakistan's Faisalabad is ranked on number 3 while Lahore is ranked as number 10 in the global list. Dhaka is the most polluted city of Bangladesh and its global ranking is 17, with a PM 2.5 2018 average of 97.1.

Most deaths and illnesses caused are due to air pollutants which cause cardiovascular diseases– mainly heart attacks and strokes. Obviously, air pollution affects the lungs because it enters through breathing. But once PM enters the lungs, it causes an inflammatory response that sends signals throughout the body, much as a bacterial infection. Additionally, the smallest particles and fragments of larger particles can leave the lungs and travel through the blood.