Colombia is among the 10 countries with the worst air quality in Latin America

IQair, the Swiss company specializing in air quality technology, released in recent days the results of its annual report on air quality in the world. In this version, the document revealed that Colombia ranked as the sixth country in Latin America with the most polluted air during 2021.

The study, which covered 117 countries on all continents, sought to assess the air quality of different nations over the past year, based on the annual concentration of PM2.5 - small particles of 2.5 microns or less than one diameter that are one of the most harmful pollutants to humans - recommended by the World Organization of Health (WHO) that at most one territory should have: 5 µg/m3.

Thus, although in Latin America countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica reduced their PM2.5 concentration during 2021 compared to 2020, the Colombian territory ranked last year as the sixth country with the most polluted air in the region.

According to the report, although Colombia managed to reduce PM2.5 concentrations by 10% from 2020 to 2021 due to mobility restrictions that were decreed during the pandemic, and the shift from the transport fleet to electric, low-carbon or hybrid buses, it still registered a concentration of 14.1 μg/m3 last year. PM2.5, that is, almost three times as much as recommended by WHO.

Likewise, the entity specializing in air quality assured that the levels of pollution in the country are also directly related to the fact that a large part of the population lives in the Andes Mountains, a sector that is exposed to mountain roads, closed streets, traffic congestion, among others, which contribute to affecting the air of the country.

As for the Colombian cities that recorded the most polluted air in the country, IQAir indicated that, in the first place, there is Medellin, which reports a PM2.5 concentration of 15.6 μg/m3, followed by Bogotá, with a PM2.5 level of 13.7 μg/m3, a level that makes the city the sixth most polluted capital of Latin America, surpassed only by Lima (31.5), Santiago de Chile (25.8), Mexico City (21.7), Guatemala City (19.5) and Montevideo (14.2).

The IQair study also revealed that, for last year, the capital city and the country that reported the lowest air quality were New Delhi (India) and Bangladesh. According to the report, this is the fourth year that these territories have been placed in that position.

According to the report, despite mobility restrictions that were decreed during the pandemic caused by covid-19, New Delhi (India) recorded a concentration of 85 μg/m3 of PM2.5 particles during 2021, while Bangladesh had a PM2.5 concentration of 76.9 μg/m3.

Regarding the figures, in an interview with the EFE agency, the general secretary of the Bangladesh Environmental Movement, Sharif Jamil, assured that, if a solution to environmental pollution is not sought, “a humanitarian catastrophe” could be generated.

As for the places in the world with the best air quality, the IQair ranking indicated that, for 2021, it was New Chalcedony and its capital Noumea, with a PM2.5 concentration level of only 3.8 μg/m3.

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