Nine of the world’s top 10 most polluted cities are in India. Seven are in the world’s largest subnational entity and the hotbed of Indian politics – Uttar Pradesh. Both these details are according to a new report by IQAir.

Another study, presented through the Air Quality Life Index report, has found that Uttar Pradesh’s air is so bad that residents of the state capital, Lucknow, could lose 10.3 years of their life expectancy on average if the pollution persists. Lucknow has the highest level of pollution in the country, fully 11-times more than WHO limits.

The IQAir report’s findings are based on concentrations of PM2.5 particles, considered to be most harmful to human health. It’s also notable that the data they analysed was from 2020, when pollution levels dropped to varying degrees around the country thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown….