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India's Winter Air: Ghaziabad Tops Pollution List
6 Mar
Summary
- Ghaziabad was India's most polluted city in winter 2025-26.
- Over 200 Indian cities surpassed national air quality standards.
- National targets for PM2.5 and gaseous pollutants are needed.
Ghaziabad was identified as India's most polluted city during the winter of 2025-26, as per an air-quality analysis. The city recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 172 μg/m3.
Noida and Delhi ranked second and third, with average PM2.5 concentrations of 166 μg/m3 and 163 μg/m3, respectively. Delhi experienced 18 'severe' and 87 'very poor' air quality days during this period.
The analysis, covering October 1, 2025, to February 28, 2026, found that 204 out of 238 Indian cities exceeded the national ambient air quality standards for PM2.5. This is an increase from the previous winter.
Experts recommend nationwide PM2.5 reduction targets and greater control over gaseous pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. These contribute to the formation of secondary particulate matter and ozone.
Cities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana dominated the top 10 most polluted list. In contrast, Chamarajanagar in Karnataka was the cleanest city, with an average PM2.5 of 19 μg/m3.
Both cities under the National Clean Air Programme and those not covered by it showed widespread exceedances of national standards and WHO guidelines for PM2.5.
In the Indo-Gangetic Plain, 75 out of 79 cities exceeded national PM2.5 standards. Similarly, in the National Capital Region, all 28 monitored cities failed to comply with national standards.
