From Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Jan 10: After a brief lull, Byrnihat has emerged as the country’s most polluted city, overtaking Delhi and other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR). Despite its severe air quality crisis, the highly industrialised belt continues to lack an effective pollution control authority and strict law enforcement, according to the latest report under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
Data for 2025 shows Byrnihat recorded an average PM2.5 level of 100 micrograms per cubic metre, followed by Delhi at 96 and Ghaziabad at 93, ranking second and third, respectively. Noida stood fourth. Other cities on the list include Gurugram, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Hajipur, Muzaffarnagar and Hapur.
Byrnihat is home to major industries, including distilleries, iron and steel plants, cement factories and beverage manufacturing units. Spread across nearly 49.5 square kilometres, the area has around 41 factories emitting large volumes of particulate matter, the report noted.
The analysis found that only about four per cent of India’s chronically polluted cities are currently covered under NCAP, raising serious concerns over the scope and effectiveness of the country’s clean air strategy. Launched in 2019, NCAP aims to curb air pollution in the worst-affected regions through coordinated action and stringent measures against key pollution sources.
Despite the scale of pollution across urban India, NCAP presently covers just 130 cities. Of these, only 67 overlap with the persistently polluted cities identified in the study. Overall, nearly 44% of Indian cities are facing long-term air pollution.
Research by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), which analysed PM2.5 levels in 4,041 cities using satellite data, found Byrnihat, Delhi and Ghaziabad among the most polluted cities in the country. In these locations, pollution is not episodic but persists year-round, largely driven by emissions from vehicles, industries and other sources.
The report stated that between 2019 and 2024, PM2.5 levels exceeded prescribed limits in at least 1,787 cities every year. Data for 2020, affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns, was excluded. About 44 per cent of Indian cities fall into the category of “chronic air pollution”.
Manoj Kumar, India analyst at CREA, said that improving air quality requires concrete, science-based interventions. He stressed the need to focus more on PM2.5 and associated gases such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, rather than PM10 alone.
Kumar also called for updating the list of non-attainment cities under NCAP, enforcing stricter emission norms for industries and power plants, allocating funds based on pollution sources, and adopting an airshed-based approach at the regional level. Under NCAP and the 15th Finance Commission, Rs 13,415 crore has been released so far, of which 74 per cent (Rs 9,929 crore) has already been spent.
