Wednesday, July 30News That Matters

Byrnihat Tops Global Pollution Charts: India Hidden Industrial Town Faces Environmental Emergency

In a troubling revelation Byrnihat a small industrial town on the Assam-Meghalaya border, has been declared the world’s most polluted city in 2024 by Swiss air monitoring agency IQAir. Once a sleepy outpost, Byrnihat has rapidly transformed into a major industrial and logistics hub but this economic surge has come at a severe environmental and health cost.

According to IQAir, Byrnihat recorded an average PM2.5 level of 128.2 micrograms per cubic meter last year over 25 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit. The town surpassed even Delhi, long known for its dangerous air quality, and now wears the unfortunate crown of global pollution capital.

A Town Choking on Progress
Over the past three decades, Byrnihat proximity to the coal-rich hills of Meghalaya and the urban center of Guwahati spurred a wave of industrialization. Today the town home to around 50,000 residents hosts over 80 polluting industries, including iron and steel units, cement plants, wood processing facilities, and ferroalloy factories.

The town is also a critical stop along National Highway 40, where long lines of trucks, often powered by outdated engines using poor-quality fuel, idle for hours. These vehicles, alongside industrial smokestacks, release vast amounts of toxic particulate matter into the air.

The surge in pollution has triggered a public health emergency. Between 2022 and 2024, cases of respiratory tract infections surged by nearly 77%, according to health data analyzed by IQAir. Local doctors report a rise in pollution-linked cancers, particularly head and neck cancers, which are tied to long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

Out of the 359 days for which IQAir had data, 356 days breached WHO PM2.5 safety standards. The few attempts to rein in pollution such as factory shutdowns ordered by the Meghalaya government in early 2025 barely made a dent. In fact, pollution levels spiked days after the closures, underlining the complexity of the problem.

Experts say Byrnihat pollution isn’t just industrial. The constant truck traffic use of dirty coal for energy open coal storage, and burning of industrial waste have all added to the toxic mix. Coal dust from improperly stored stockpiles creates fugitive emissions that linger in the town air.

Geography has made things worse. Byrnihat is situated in a bowl-shaped valley surrounded by hills that trap air pollutants, allowing little room for dispersion. Add to that a deficit in rainfall during 2024 in both Assam and Meghalaya, and the region’s natural ability to cleanse its air was severely reduced.

While Delhi remains in the spotlight Byrnihat sudden rise on the global pollution radar is a wake-up call for policymakers. Environmental experts argue that India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) has remained too focused on metros, ignoring smaller urban centers where monitoring and regulation remain weak or non-existent.

IQAir’s findings show that many smaller Indian towns now undergoing industrial booms are turning into pollution hotspots, yet they receive little media or political attention. Without urgent policy shifts, more such towns could face Byrnihat’s fate.

Residents Ask: “Where Do We Go?”
For locals like Lucy Marak, the recognition as the world’s most polluted city has deep personal meaning. “This is our home,” she said. “Where are we supposed to go if our home becomes unlivable?”

Byrnihat’s struggle is not just a regional crisis it is a reflection of India’s broader challenge: how to balance industrial growth with environmental survival. Without bold reforms, stricter emissions standards, and better urban planning, Byrnihat may only be the first of many Indian towns to be choked by their own progress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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