Delhi sixth most polluted city in October; this NCR town had it even worse
Delhi's monthly PM2.5 concentration stood nearly three times higher than its September average
- Nov 4, 2025,
- Updated Nov 4, 2025 5:02 PM IST
Delhi was ranked the sixth most polluted city in India in October, trailing behind five other National Capital Region (NCR) cities, including Dharuhera, Ghaziabad, and Noida, according to a study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) released on Tuesday.
The Monthly Air Quality Snapshot found Dharuhera in Haryana to be the most polluted city in October, with a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 123 µg/m³, breaching the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) on 77 per cent of the days. The town recorded two 'Severe' and nine 'Very Poor' air quality days.
Delhi's monthly PM2.5 concentration stood at 107 µg/m³, nearly three times higher than its September average of 36 µg/m³. Despite stubble burning contributing less than 6 per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 levels in October, the sharp rise reflected the impact of local emissions and persistent urban pollution, the report noted.
"The sharp deterioration in air quality underscores the need for long-term emission control strategies beyond short seasonal measures like the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)," CREA said.
Following Dharuhera, the next most polluted cities in October were Rohtak, Ghaziabad, Noida, Ballabgarh, Delhi, Bhiwadi, Greater Noida, Hapur, and Gurgaon — with four cities each from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana dominating the top 10 list.
At the other end of the spectrum, Shillong in Meghalaya recorded the cleanest air in the country, with an average PM2.5 level 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 monitored cities, 212 recorded PM2.5 levels below the NAAQS limit of 60 µg/m³, but only six cities met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) safe daily guideline of 15 µg/m³. The number of cities in the ‘Good’ air quality range (0–30 µg/m³) dropped from 179 in September to 68 in October, while those in the ‘Satisfactory’ range (31–60 µg/m³) rose from 52 to 144.
Cities in the ‘Moderate’ range (61–90 µg/m³) climbed from 4 to 27, while nine cities fell under the ‘Poor’ category (91–120 µg/m³) and one city entered the ‘Very Poor’ bracket (121–250 µg/m³), the analysis showed.
(With inputs from PTI)
Delhi was ranked the sixth most polluted city in India in October, trailing behind five other National Capital Region (NCR) cities, including Dharuhera, Ghaziabad, and Noida, according to a study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) released on Tuesday.
The Monthly Air Quality Snapshot found Dharuhera in Haryana to be the most polluted city in October, with a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 123 µg/m³, breaching the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) on 77 per cent of the days. The town recorded two 'Severe' and nine 'Very Poor' air quality days.
Delhi's monthly PM2.5 concentration stood at 107 µg/m³, nearly three times higher than its September average of 36 µg/m³. Despite stubble burning contributing less than 6 per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 levels in October, the sharp rise reflected the impact of local emissions and persistent urban pollution, the report noted.
"The sharp deterioration in air quality underscores the need for long-term emission control strategies beyond short seasonal measures like the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)," CREA said.
Following Dharuhera, the next most polluted cities in October were Rohtak, Ghaziabad, Noida, Ballabgarh, Delhi, Bhiwadi, Greater Noida, Hapur, and Gurgaon — with four cities each from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana dominating the top 10 list.
At the other end of the spectrum, Shillong in Meghalaya recorded the cleanest air in the country, with an average PM2.5 level 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 monitored cities, 212 recorded PM2.5 levels below the NAAQS limit of 60 µg/m³, but only six cities met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) safe daily guideline of 15 µg/m³. The number of cities in the ‘Good’ air quality range (0–30 µg/m³) dropped from 179 in September to 68 in October, while those in the ‘Satisfactory’ range (31–60 µg/m³) rose from 52 to 144.
Cities in the ‘Moderate’ range (61–90 µg/m³) climbed from 4 to 27, while nine cities fell under the ‘Poor’ category (91–120 µg/m³) and one city entered the ‘Very Poor’ bracket (121–250 µg/m³), the analysis showed.
(With inputs from PTI)