India’s top 10 cities with worst air quality: Greater Noida, Faridabad, Delhi in top 3

As per CPCB, Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh had an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 354 and topped the list of 10 Indian cities with worst air quality. Faridabad in Haryana was second with AQI of 322 followed by Delhi with 313.

Delhi and several cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) had the worst air quality. Greater Noida’s AQI fell in the ‘very poor’ category.

According to CPCB, an AQI of 0-50 is ‘Good’ with ‘Minimal Impact’ on health while 51-100 is ‘Satisfactory’ (Minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people). A reading of 101-200 is ‘Moderate’ (Breathing discomfort to the people with lungs, asthma and heart diseases) and 201-300 is ‘Poor’ (Breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure). AQI of 301-400 is ‘Very Poor’ (Respiratory illness on prolonged exposure) and 401-500 is ‘Severe’, and it “affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases”.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Delhi’s air quality turned "very poor" for the first time since May 17 due to unfavourable meteorological conditions, according to monitoring agencies.

The capital's 24-hour average air quality index stood at 313 on Sunday, deteriorating from 248 on Saturday.

Delhi last recorded "very poor" air quality on May 17 when the AQI was 336.

Almost all areas in Delhi recorded air quality in the 'very poor' category on Sunday.

According to the CPCB, Faridabad recorded an AQI of 322, Ghaziabad 246, Greater Noida 354, Gurugram 255, and Noida 304.

Officials from the India Meteorological Department stated that the air quality in Delhi-NCR will remain "very poor" for the next few days due to a drop in temperature and the influx of emissions from stubble burning.

The wind speed is slow, and there has been scant rainfall in October, unlike the last two years, an official said.

The central government's Decision Support System for Air Quality Management predicts that paddy straw burning may increase from Monday.

According to the system, smoke from paddy straw burning accounted for 16 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on Sunday, and this could increase to 30-32 per cent on Monday.

According to the Union Environment Ministry, the maximum share of farm fires in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution stood at 34 per cent on November 3 last year and 48 per cent on November 7 in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has identified eight more pollution hotspots in addition to the existing 13 in the national capital, and special teams will be deployed there to check pollution sources, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Monday.

After a meeting with 28 departments to ensure the effective implementation of pollution mitigation measures in the capital, Rai said the government has also decided to use suppressant powder to prevent dust pollution in the city.

"In addition to the 13 existing air pollution hotspots in Delhi, we are focusing on eight places where the AQI has exceeded the 300-mark. These locations include Shadipur, ITO, Mandir Marg, Nehru Nagar, Patparganj, Sonia Vihar, Dhyan Chand Stadium, and Moti Bagh," the minister told a press conference.

He added that special teams will be deployed at the eight places to identify pollution sources and take corrective measures in collaboration with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.

Rai also mentioned that district collectors have been instructed to conduct field visits on October 25 and ensure the strict implementation of pollution mitigation measures.

(With agency inputs)