Colombo, March 15 -- After months and a series of media reports highlighting that Sri Lanka's air quality had been deteriorating, the country was not featured in 2024's top 50 list of world's most air-polluted cities and narrowly sitting on 51, based on Swiss air quality monitoring firm, IQAir.

Despite the good news though, the island nation had not made it to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) air quality standards, featuring a filtered list of only seven countries.

Average concentrations of small, hazardous airborne particles are known as PM2.5, as set by WHO, posing significant health risks when inhaled, potentially reaching deep into the lungs.

The WHO recommends levels of no more than 5 mg/cu m, a standard met only by a handful...