A week after the World Health Organization released its report on the world's most polluted cities, the Indian government claims that there's very little it can do to help combat pollution in smaller Indian cities. The WHO report found the Indian capital New Delhi to be the most polluted city in the world. It also listed 14 Indian cities among the 20 most polluted. The study says major sources of air pollution in India are emissions from industry, vehicles and coal fired power plants. CGTN's Neha Poonia reports.

New Delhi is officially the world's most polluted megacity - once again. In Agra, the air pollution is so bad, the iconic Taj Mahal has turned brown. And when it comes to PM2.5 levels, of the world's 20 most polluted cities- the top 14 cities are all in India. PM2.5 levels indicate the level of the smallest pollution particles that cause the most damage to the human body. A 2017 Lancet study put the number of air pollution deaths in India at over 2 million.

DR. ARVIND KUMAR LUNG CANCER SPECIALIST "Pollution kills you slowly. Across ages, it causes havoc as far as your health is concerned. So this is a very very serious health emergency."

Environmentalists say while they are not surprised by the WHO findings, the hope is this will serve as a wake-up call for India. They are urging the Indian government to tackle air pollution on a war footing much like China did- a sentiment echoed by the WHO.

CHANDRA BHUSHAN ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERT "When you reach this level of pollution, small steps are not enough. We should learn from China- if you want to tackle air pollution, it needs to be an economy-wide solution- you can't tackle just one aspect of it."

Last year, Delhi to come to a stand-still for over a week as pollution levels crossed 70 times the safe limit. Back then, several emergency measures were taken. Schools were shut down for a week, construction activity was suspended, coal power plants were shut down, and trucks were banned from entering the city limits However those measures were lifted as soon as the smog cleared. The biggest criticism has been that India's attempts to fix the pollution problem have always temporary and Delhi-centric. The government has finalized a plan to combat air pollution- by controlling vehicular emissions and construction activity. But the plan is only for the Delhi capital region.

NEHA POONIA NEW DELHI "The Indian government claims the onus to tackle air pollution in other cities is on state governments. The government says it has asked 94 Indian cities to prepare an action plan for air pollution and that it has given these cities suggestions to improve air quality- but beyond that, it's involvement is limited."

Some Indian residents say the government could spend more money on city-wide infrastructure projects while others say the situation has to change.

SANTOSH GUPTA NEW DELHI RESIDENT "Public transport in India is unreliable and inconsistent which is why many people prefer to use their own cars."

But with responsibility split between state and national governments, Indian citizens will continue to gasp for clean air. Neha Poonia, CGTN, New Delhi.