THIS city in India was ranked world's most polluted in 2024 - Spoiler: It's not Delhi

The 2024 Swiss Group IQAir's annual pollution report for is out as it lists most polluted cities in the world in last year. Surprisingly, it's not India's national capital Delhi which tops the list.

According to the report, Byrnihat in Meghalaya has been named the most polluted city in the world.

Byrnihat had an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 302 and placed it in the "very poor" category. The Central Pollution Control Board has also declared Byrnihat the most polluted urban area in India for the second consecutive year.

Byrnihat is a small industrially saturated town on the border of India's states of Assam and Meghalaya.

Despite being assumed as the most polluted city, Delhi ranks second on the list. It is followed by Karaganda in Kazakhstan in third place. Mullanpur in Punjab, India, is fourth, with Lahore in Pakistan in fifth.

Moreover, Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan ranks sixth on the list, N'Djamena in Chad on seventh, Loni in Uttar Pradesh, India, on eighth, New Delhi on ninth, and Faridabad in Haryana tenth on the list, completing the top 10 list.

As per the report, more than 96 million people live in the five most polluted cities in the world.

Meghalaya Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, approved a vehicle scrappage policy on May 1, aimed at reducing emissions across the state.

Government spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh explained that the policy targets old, unfit vehicles, with about 13,000 cars expected to be removed from the roads, including 5000 government owned and 8,000 privately owned.

According to Lyngdoh, the policy will also help lower pollution by cutting emissions and decreasing the need for raw material extraction and recycling.