NEW DELHI, July 11: Byrnihat continues to lead the charts as the most polluted city in India in the first half of 2025 while Delhi stood a distant second, according to a new analysis.
According to the analysis by independent research organisation Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Byrnihat recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 133 micrograms per cubic metre, while Delhi’s PM2.5 levels reached twice the national ambient air quality standard at 87 micrograms per cubic metre.
Hajipur (Bihar), Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Sasaram (Bihar), Patna, Talcher (Odisha), Rourkela (Odisha) and Rajgir (Bihar) were the other cities in the top 10 most polluted list.
Aizawl in Mizoram was the cleanest city in the country in the first half of the year.
From January to June, CREA said, particulate matter data was available for over 80 per cent of the days in 239 out of 293 cities with continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS).
Among the 239 cities, 122 exceeded the annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 40 micrograms per cubic metre, while 117 cities remained below the annual limit.
Earlier in march, Byrnihat was declared “the most polluted metropolitan area in the world” by the 2024 IQAir World Air Quality Report.
The report published by Swiss firm IQAir from Steinach, Switzerland, said that Byrnihat recorded an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 micrograms per cubic metre, far exceeding the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guideline of 5 micrograms per cubic metre. PM2.5 and PM10 are fine particulate matter, with PM2.5 being particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometre or less, which are so fine that they can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, causing serious health risks.
Byrnihat is one of the major industrial hubs in the Northeastern region, with 39 industrial units in Assam and 41 in Meghalaya. In Meghalaya, the industries are located in an area called Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) in Ri-Bhoi district, while in Assam, they are mainly concentrated in Tamulkuchi of Kamrup (Metropolitan) district.
R Nainamalai, Chairman of Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board had blamed Assam for the pollution and said that out of 41 industries in the Meghalaya side, only two industries fall in the Red category, which is the highest polluting category.
But out of 39 industries in the Assam side, 20 are in the Red, with high pollution load and impact on the environment.
The MSPCB chief also said that in Assam, the AQI reading at the start of the year, on January 26 was 341 (very poor) as recorded at the air quality monitoring station at the Central Academy for State Forest Service. But on the Meghalaya side, ‘satisfactory’ air quality levels were recorded at the four monitoring stations located at the industrial park EPIP, 15th Mile, 17th Mile and Killing areas. (Agencies)
