Sultanate among least polluted nations in Asia

MUSCAT: The Sultanate has been ranked as one of the least polluted countries in Asia, with only Singapore and Japan doing better. According to numbeo.com, Singapore tops the list with a pollution index of 32.06, followed by Japan 36.78, Oman 37.80, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (52.99) and Cyprus (53.75). Pollution Index is an estimation of the overall pollution in the city. The biggest weight is given to air pollution, than to water pollution/accessibility, two main pollution factors. Small weight is given to other pollution types. In the Middle East, Oman is ranked first followed by the UAE, Cyprus, Armenia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In the GCC, Oman and the UAE are followed by Qatar (61.62), Saudi Arabia (66.07), Kuwait (70.20) and Bahrain (70.61). AIR POLLUTION Air Pollution (34.33), drinking water pollution and inaccessibility (28.33), dissatisfaction with garbage disposal (32.76), dirty and untidy (23.36), noise and light pollution (39.17), water pollution (38.60), dissatisfaction to spend time in the city (26.21) and dissatisfaction with greenery and parks in the city (29.24) are low in the Sultanate. Meanwhile, the level of purity and cleanliness of air (65.67), drinking water quality and accessibility (71.67), garbage disposal satisfaction (67.24), clean and tidy (76.64), quiet and no problem with night lights (60.83), water quality (61.40), comfortable to spend time in the city (73.79), and quality of green and parks (70.76) are said to be high in the Sultanate. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. The WHO data shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. From smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to health and climate. “The combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution cause about seven million premature deaths every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections,” the WHO said.