A report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based think tank, has revealed that Guwahati and Agartala are the most polluted cities in the Northeast.
CSE analysed the urban air quality status in the Northeast states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh with an objective to understand the magnitude and trend in winter pollution in major cities of the region.
It was found that Guwahati tops the list of polluted cities in the region with its average Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 levels in 2021 (uptill November 30) already surpassing the 2019 annual average in Guwahati. The 2020 annual PM average is also higher than its 2019 average, which indicates a continuous worsening of air quality of the city.
Meanwhile, Agartala- the capital city of Tripura- is second on the list with a 2020 average of 45 micro-gram per cubic metre (ug/m3).
Kohima comes third with a 2020 average of 35 ug/m3.