In January, PM2.5 levels reached 184 micrograms per cubic meter in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, 169 in Delhi, and 92 in Kolkata. These figures emerged from an Air Quality Index survey conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) across 248 cities in India. The findings paint an alarming picture.
Nearly 50 percent of the surveyed cities recorded air quality levels far above the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which prescribe a maximum PM2.5 limit of 60 micrograms per cubic meter. In contrast, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a much stricter safe limit of 15 micrograms per cubic meter. The data show that air pollution levels in many Indian cities have exceeded not only WHO standards but also the NAAQS threshold.
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According to CREA, among the 97 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme, 46 reported PM2.5 levels above the NAAQS limit. All 97 cities violated WHO guidelines. Ghaziabad was identified as the worst-affected city. In January, its average PM2.5 level stood at 184 micrograms per cubic meter, with NAAQS limits breached every single day. Of the 31 days, 24 were classified as ‘very poor’, four as ‘severe’, two as ‘poor’, and one as ‘moderate’.
Delhi ranked as the second most polluted city in the country. In January, the capital recorded 24 ‘very poor’ days, three ‘severe’ days, two ‘poor’ days, and two ‘moderate’ days. Other cities among the ten most polluted were Noida, Gurugram, Greater Noida, Dharuhera, Gangtok, Singrauli, Bhiwadi, and Narnaul.
Although not in the top ten, Kolkata’s air quality was also deemed extremely polluted, with PM2.5 levels at 92 micrograms per cubic meter- nearly one and a half times the NAAQS limit. In comparison, other major metropolitan cities showed relatively better conditions: Chennai recorded 49 micrograms per cubic meter, Mumbai 48, and Bengaluru 44.
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CREA’s report identified Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh as the cleanest city in January, with an average PM2.5 level of 17 micrograms per cubic meter. Among the ten cleanest cities, five were from Karnataka, along with one each from Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Nagaland, and Punjab.
Speaking on behalf of CREA, analyst Manoj Kumar said, "After years of efforts to prevent air pollution, one thing is now clear: reducing PM2.5 and its associated nitrogen and sulfur gases should be our first and primary goal. There is no way to solve this problem without implementing stricter regulations on gases emitted from various industries and transportation."
