HYDERABAD: According to UK-based IQAir’s 2019 World Air Quality Report, air quality in Hyderabad improved in 2019, with the concentration of annual average Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) -- the smallest and most harmful of air pollutants-- decreasing by around 5 per cent in the last one year. Based on 2019 data, Hyderabad has recorded 39 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) of PM 2.5, while in 2018, it was 44.2 µg/m³ and 51.6µg/m³ in 2017.
The report, which stated that 26 Indian cities were among the 50 most polluted cities in the world, claims that every city in India witnessed a decline in PM 2.5 levels from 2018 to 2019, except for Nagpur and Aurangabad.
“Unfortunately, these improvements may not be fully representative of the very recent but promising National Clean Air Programme and Cleaner Fuel Bharat VI introduction, but are rather more indicative of the slowing of the economy,” the report adds.
In India, the report monitored data of six metro cities, which include Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. Only Bengaluru and Chennai’s air quality was found to be better than that of Hyderabad’s.