NCR Cities Dominate List of Most Polluted in October: CREA

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) released its October 2025 Monthly Air Quality Snapshot, revealing sharp deterioration in air quality across India, with pollution concentrated in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, particularly the National Capital Region (NCR), based on data from continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations.

Dharuhera in Haryana emerged as India's most polluted city in October 2025, recording a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 123 μg/m³ and breaching the National Ambient Air Quality Standard limit on 77% of days. The city recorded two 'Severe' and nine 'Very Poor' days during the month.

Rohtak, Ghaziabad, Noida, Ballabgarh, Delhi, Bhiwadi, Greater Noida, Hapur, and Gurgaon followed Dharuhera as the next most polluted cities. Four cities each from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana dominated the top 10 list, all located within the NCR.

Delhi ranked sixth with an average concentration of 107 μg/m³, three times higher than its September average of 36 μg/m³. Despite stubble burning contributing less than 6% of Delhi's PM2.5 levels in October, the sharp rise highlights the impact of year-round emission sources and the need for long-term mitigation plans beyond short seasonal measures like the Graded Response Action Plan.

Shillong in Meghalaya was India's cleanest city in October with an average PM2.5 concentration of 10 μg/m³. The top 10 cleanest cities included four from Karnataka, three from Tamil Nadu, and one each from Meghalaya, Sikkim, and Chhattisgarh.

Out of 249 cities with sufficient data, 212 cities recorded PM2.5 levels below India's NAAQS of 60 μg/m³. However, only six cities met the World Health Organization's daily safe guideline of 15 μg/m³.

Cities with 'Good' air quality dropped from 179 in September to 68 in October, while those in the 'Satisfactory' range increased from 52 to 144. Cities in the 'Moderate' range rose from 4 to 27, while 9 cities fell into the 'Poor' category and one city reached the 'Very Poor' category. This shift toward higher pollution levels was concentrated in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, especially within the NCR.

"Winter and festive periods don't create India's pollution problem, they expose it. These seasonal spikes merely amplify baseline pollution levels that remain dangerously high throughout the year. This predictable surge is substantially preventable if we prioritize sector-specific emission cuts with clear accountability mechanisms. Instead, policy responses remain reactive and seasonal, failing to address the year-round sources driving this crisis," said Manoj Kumar, Analyst at CREA.

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air is an independent research organisation focused on revealing the trends, causes, and health impacts of air pollution.