Indian cities included in the list of 20 most polluted cities in the world

Question- According to the data released by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) on May 2nd, 2018, how many Indian cities are included in the list of the 20 most polluted cities in the world?
(a) 10
(b) 12
(c) 14
(d) 8
Answer: (c) 
Related Facts: 

  • On 2nd May, 2018, According to the database released by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) 14 Indian cities are listed in the list of 20 most polluted cities in the world.
  • The 14 Indian cities covered in the list are Kanpur, Faridabad, Gaya, Patna, Agra, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Patiala, Lucknow, Delhi and Varanasi.
  • New data from WHO shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants.
  • Updated estimations reveal an alarming death toll of 7 million people every year caused by ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution.
  • WHO estimates that around 7 million people die every year from exposure to fine particles in polluted air that penetrate deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system, causing diseases including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and respiratory infections, including pneumonia.
  • Ambient air pollution alone caused some 4.2 million deaths in 2016, while household air pollution from cooking with polluting fuels and technologies caused an estimated 3.8 million deaths in the same period.
  • More than 90% of air pollution-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, mainly in Asia and Africa, followed by low- and middle-income countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region, Europe and the Americas.
  • Around 3 billion people – more than 40% of the world’s population – still do not have access to clean cooking fuels and technologies in their homes, the main source of household air pollution.
  • WHO recognizes that air pollution is a critical risk factor for non communicable diseases (NCDs), causing an estimated one-quarter (24%) of all adult deaths from heart disease, 25% from stroke, 43% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 29% from lung cancer.

Reference:             
http://www.who.int/news-room/detail/02-05-2018-9-out-of-10-people-worldwide-breathe-polluted-air-but-more-countries-are-taking-action
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43972155
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/250141/9789241511353-eng.pdf?sequence=1