Byrnihat, Delhi top two most polluted cities in India till June-end, says new analysis
Byrnihat's average particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) concentration was 133 micrograms/cubic metre (ug/m3) while Delhi's PM 2.5 average stood at 87 ug/m3. PM 2.5 pollutants are very fine and easily inhalable, and can enter the bloodstream through the lungs.
As per the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), 40 ug/m3 is the prescribed limit for PM 2.5 levels.
Most days in Delhi (63) were in the moderate category, which reflects air quality concentration in the 61-90 ug/m3 range. For 29 days, the city's air quality was in the very poor quality category.
Sasaram, Patna, and Rajgir in Bihar, and Talcher and Rourkela in Odisha were the other cities in the top 10 most polluted cities till June. In the January to June corresponding period for 2024, these same 10 cities were the most polluted in the country, with Byrnihat and Delhi occupying the same spots.
The analysis was based on air quality data drawn from the government's continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) in 293 cities.
'Among these, 122 cities exceeded India's annual National Ambient Air Quality Standards of 40 micrograms/metre cube, while 117 cities remained below this threshold,' the analysis stated.
Meanwhile, Mizoram's capital Aizawl was the cleanest city in the country. Its average PM 2.5 concentration was 8 ug/m3, which was still higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) prescribed 5 ug/m3 level.
Tirupur and Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, Bareilly and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh, Maihar in Madhya Pradesh, Imphal in Manipur, and Chamrajanagar and Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka were the other cities among the top 10 cleanest cities.
Among the 131 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), 98 have CAAMS installed. Of these, 55 cities exceeded the national standards. Among the 141 cities not covered under NCAP, 67 cities exceeded the national standards.
To underline the depth of non-compliance, the analysis pointed out that till now, 259 of the 293 cities with CAAMS had already overshot their annual particulate matter 2.5 standards. Overshoot days signify that cities have already crossed the threshold of their annual standards. Thus, even if the air quality improved, it would not meet its annual standards.
An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change.
Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
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