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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3105
TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2026
Air Quality Index
3105. SHRI P. WILSON:
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Central Government has rejected or disputed air quality data published by certain
internationally reputed organisations claiming India as 5th polluted country and the reasons
therefor;
(b) the month-wise and city-wise official Air Quality Index (AQI) data for the past 36 months for
the ten most polluted cities in the country, area-wise details for Delhi, along with pollutant-wise
parameters; and
(c) the prescribed air quality standards as per World Health Organization guidelines and the
corresponding levels recorded in these cities?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE
CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) to (c): Air pollution is a collective result of multiple factors including high level of
anthropogenic activities arising from various sectors viz. Vehicular Pollution, Industrial Pollution,
Dust from Construction and Demolition Project activities, Road and Open Areas Dust, Biomass
Burning, Municipal Solid Waste burning, Fires in Landfills, air pollution from dispersed sources,
etc. Area specific geographical factors like lower temperature, lower mixing heights, inversion
conditions and stagnant winds lead to trapping of pollutants also impact the intensity of pollution
in the specific region.
Air Quality Index (AQI) of cities is measured through Air Quality Monitoring Stations established
by Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Board/Pollution Control
Committees in line with the guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board in this
regard.
Near real-time air quality data and hourly Air Quality Index (AQI) information of more than 280
cities is made available on web portal CPCB as well as on SAMEER mobile application. Further,
CPCB issues a daily bulletin at 04:00 PM comprising AQI of various cities in the country.
“Swachh Vayu Survekshan” initiative of MoEF&CC is conducted annually to rank 130 cities
covered under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) on the basis of implementation of air
quality improvement measures in three groups categorised based on population.
World Health Organisations Air Quality Guidelines serve as only a guidance document and as a
non-binding reference for policy makers. These guidelines are recommended values for air
pollutants to help countries achieve air quality. Countries are advised to consider theirgeographical, socioeconomic, and environmental factors before adopting these guidelines as
enforceable standards. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for the country for 12 key air pollutants to
safeguard public health and environmental quality. CPCB has identified 122 non-attainment cities
(NAC) based on ambient air quality data levels exceeding National Ambient Air Quality Standards
consecutively for five years for any of the notified parameters.
Air Quality Index (AQI) in India has been classified into Good Days having AQI<200 (Good: 0-
50, Satisfactory: 51-100, Moderate: 101-200) and Bad Days having AQI > 201 (Poor: 201-300;
Very Poor: 301-400; Severe: 401-500).
The ten most polluted cities having highest number of bad days as per base year 2024, along with
details of bad days during 2023, 2024 and 2025 are enclosed in Annexure I.
***Annexure I
Details of ten cities having highest number of bad days (200+ AQI) as per base year 2024,
along with details of bad days during 2023, 2024 and 2025
Sr. No. State/UTs City 2023 2024 2025
1 Uttar Pradesh Greater Noida 178 186 114
2 Rajasthan Sri Ganganagar 114 179 85
3 Assam Byrnihat 187 171 90
4 Haryana Gurugram 145 164 149
5 Delhi Delhi 159 159 165
6 Uttar Pradesh Noida 138 153 106
7 Bihar Patna 163 148 54
8 Uttar Pradesh Muzaffarnagar 126 141 83
9 Haryana Faridabad 129 140 66
10 Uttar Pradesh Ghaziabad 132 128 135