Air pollution threatens the health of 250 thousand people across 7 districts in Gorno-Badakhshan. The average PM2.5 level is 11 µg/m³—2.2× higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Gorno-Badakhshan faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 250 thousand across 7 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 11µg/m³. That's 2.2 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 183 cigarettes in a year.
If Gorno-Badakhshan met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.6 years longer.
That's 150K years of life stolen from 250 thousand 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 7 most polluted districts in Gorno-Badakhshan. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³—only populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.
Complete air quality data for every district in Gorno-Badakhshan, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shughnon | 75K | 11.0 | 0.6 years |
| Vanj | 38K | 9.6 | 0.5 years |
| Ishkoshim | 36K | 13.3 | 0.8 years |
| Roshtqala | 30K | 11.4 | 0.6 years |
| Rushon | 29K | 9.7 | 0.5 years |
| Darvoz | 25K | 14.1 | 0.9 years |
| Murghob | 17K | 6.1 | 0.1 years |
Showing 7 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.