Greenpeace reveals most polluted cities of India; Delhi makes improvement

HIGHLIGHTS

• Jharia in Jharkhand continues to be the most polluted city in India, according to a report by Greenpeace India.
• The report says that New Delhi has made marginal improvements and dropped to the 10th spot on the list.
• Six of the top-10 polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh with Noida at number 3.

Coal-belching Jharia in Jharkhand continues to be the most polluted city in India, while New Delhi has made marginal improvements in reducing air pollution, according to a Greenpeace India report called Airpocalypse released on Tuesday. Delhi is the 10th-most polluted city in India. It was at the eighth spot a year ago.

Jharkhand's Dhanbad, known for its rich coal reserves and industries, is the second-most polluted city in India, according to the report based on analysis of PM10 data from 287 cities across the country. Lunglei in Mizoram is the least polluted followed by Meghalaya's Dowki, according to the report.

Six of the top-10 polluted cities are in Uttar Pradesh -- Noida, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Allahabad, Moradabad, and Firozabad.

The list consists of 287 cities with Mizoram's Lunglei ranked the last, thus the least polluted.

The report called on the government to prioritize "transparency, accountability and stringency" in the actions proposed under NCAP. It also said that the inclusion of legal provisions and sectoral targets is key to the implementation and effectiveness of air pollution reduction plans.

Greenpeace report also suggested ways for the general public to contribute to the fight against pollution.