Delhi, Patna..here is the list of India's most polluted cities

This is three times the government's safe limit, according to a new analysis by think tank Climate Trends and tech firm Respirer Living Sciences, which makes real-time IoT-based air quality monitoring devices.

The study showed that Aizawl and Mizoram have India's cleanest air with a PM2.5 level of only 11.1 micrograms per cubic metre.

Four other cities from the National Capital Region also figure among the 10 most polluted cities: Faridabad (89 micrograms per cubic metre), Noida (79.1), Ghaziabad (78.3) and Meerut (76.9 micrograms per cubic metre).

The report is based on the analysis of the government's PM2.5 data from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023.

It focuses on the cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme, which aims to achieve a 40 percent reduction in particulate matter concentration by 2026.

Indo-Gangetic region

Patna, India’s second most polluted city with an average PM2.5 concentration of 99.7 micrograms per cubic metre, saw a 24 percent deterioration in air quality compared to the previous year.

The top seven polluted cities -- Delhi, Patna, Muzaffarpur, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut -- are all part of the Indo-Gangetic plains, the report said.

But PM2.5 concentration in Delhi, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut reduced by 4 percent, 12 percent, 12 percent, 25 percent and 11 percent respectively,most during the study period.

"The analysis reflects that there has been improvement in the Indo-Gangetic plain cities over the last few years. However, considering the enormous pollution load, these cities continue to experience the highest PM levels in the country," said Aarti Khosla, the director of Climate Trends.

(With agency inputs)