The majority of the world population breathes contaminated air, according to a report

A report revealed the problem of pollution in the world, where only 17 % of cities meet the guidelines on air pollution. In India there are six of the nine most polluted cities.

By The voice of America

Most of the world breathes contaminated air and only 17 % of cities globally meet the guidelines on air pollution, according to a report published on Tuesday.

The IQair air quality control database, based in Switzerland, analyzed data of 40,000 air quality monitoring stations in 138 countries and found that Chad, Congo, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India had the most polluted air.

In India there are six of the nine most contaminated cities, being the industrial city of Byrnihat, in the northeast, the worst.

Experts pointed out that the real amount of air pollution could be much greater, since many parts of the world lack the control systems necessary to obtain more precise data. In Africa, for example, there is only one monitoring station for every 3.7 million inhabitants.

More air quality control stations are being installed to counteract the problem, according to the report. This year, the authors of the report were able to incorporate data of 8,954 new points and around one thousand new monitors as a result of the efforts to improve the monitoring of air pollution.

However, the control of data on air pollution suffered a setback last week when the United States Department announced that it will no longer make the data of its embassies and consulates worldwide.