Overview
- Ghaziabad averaged 172 µg/m³ PM2.5, ahead of Noida at 166 and Delhi at 163 during the October–February season.
- Of 238 cities with adequate data, 204 exceeded India’s PM2.5 standard, and none met the WHO 5 µg/m³ guideline.
- The National Capital Region dominated the top ten, with Haryana registering 24 cities where all monitored sites breached the standard and Gurugram averaging 138 µg/m³.
- Delhi logged 18 severe days and 87 very poor days over the winter, with only one good day recorded.
- The findings use CPCB CAAQMS data from Oct 1, 2025 to Feb 28, 2026, and identify Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, as the cleanest at 19 µg/m³.