Air pollution threatens the health of 11.9 million people across 13 districts in Uttarakhand. The average PM2.5 level is 33.2 Āµg/mĀ³ā6.6Ć higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Uttarakhand faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 11.9 million across 13 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 33.2Āµg/mĀ³. That's 6.6 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5Āµg/mĀ³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 551 cigarettes in a year.
If Uttarakhand met the WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³, the average person would live 2.76 years longer.
That's 32.8M years of life stolen from 11.9 million people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.
Lives cut short. Breathing kills.
The top 10 most polluted districts in Uttarakhand. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 Āµg/mĀ³āonly populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.
Complete air quality data for every district in Uttarakhand, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 Āµg/mĀ³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardwar | 2.2M | 48.1 | 4.2 years |
| Udham Singh Nagar | 2.0M | 35.2 | 3.0 years |
| Dehradun | 1.9M | 36.1 | 3.0 years |
| Nainital | 1.1M | 28.4 | 2.3 years |
| Pauri Garhwal | 928K | 28.1 | 2.3 years |
| Tehri Garhwal | 739K | 27.4 | 2.2 years |
| Almora | 714K | 21.4 | 1.6 years |
| Pithoragarh | 578K | 21.3 | 1.6 years |
| Chamoli | 494K | 24.8 | 1.9 years |
| Uttarkashi | 396K | 28.0 | 2.3 years |
| Champawat | 304K | 21.0 | 1.6 years |
| Bageshwar | 291K | 23.7 | 1.8 years |
| Rudraprayag | 161K | 27.1 | 2.2 years |
Showing 13 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³.