February 14, 2021 Share OpenAQ, a global non-profit NGO aiming to build the world’s largest repository of air quality data, has announced a new pilot platform integrating low-cost sensors that will enable citizens to track air quality and fight air pollution in their local communities. New data shows global air pollution on the rise It is estimated that 90% of the world suffers from harmful levels of air pollution, with the problems particularly acute in urban areas in the Global South, affecting some of the least well-off communities. A recent investigation into the largest cities in the world showed that the average annual level of PM2.5 air pollution was 39 ug/m3, nearly 4 times higher than the World Health Organization guidelines (10 ug/m3). The worst affected cities were in Asia – Lahore (Pakistan), Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Ahmedabad (India) and Xi’an (China) having the highest levels measured, according to OpenAQ.