By Krishika. Dinesh. Rathod
The air quality in India was severely affected throughout October 2025; the Indo-Gangetic Plain, especially Delhi and its neighboring areas, emerged as the most polluted part of the country. According to a recent report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Dharuhera in Haryana reported an average PM2.5 level of 123 µg/m³ and remained above the national limit most days, while recording several ‘Very Poor’ and ‘Severe’ air quality days.
According to Manoj Kumar, an analyst with CREA, winter and festivals don’t create India’s pollution crisis, they only make it visible. He said the problem is year-round and can be prevented if the authorities focus on long-term emission control and accountability instead of short-term, reactive responses.
In comparison, Mumbai fared much better, with an average of 40 µg/m³, falling in the ‘Satisfactory’ category under India’s air quality standards. However, pollution varied across the city, with Bandra Kurla Complex recording the highest at 71 µg/m³, Navy Nagar-Colaba at 56 µg/m³, and Mulund West at 51 µg/m³, while Kandivali and CSMIA Airport had cleaner air below 32 µg/m³.
This is across India, where 212 out of 249 cities remained within the national safe limit; only six cities met the much stricter WHO guideline of 15 µg/m³. Cities recording ‘Good’ air quality fell sharply from September to October, underlining how fast pollution levels rose at the onset of winter.
CREA’s analysis found that 255 of 293 cities had already crossed the WHO’s annual PM2.5 standard by October-meaning they would fail to meet it even if pollution dropped drastically for the rest of the year. In contrast, only 37 cities exceeded India’s more lenient limit, a sign of how outdated the 2009 national standards are compared to global health benchmarks.
A year-on-year comparison also showed that pollution worsened in most major cities like Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Noida, despite efforts to curb it. On the bright side, Shillong remained the cleanest city with a PM2.5 level of just 10 µg/m³, while Gangtok, Mysuru, and Nagapattinam stood out by having fresh, healthy air throughout the month.