In September 2024, while the overall air quality in India was relatively cleaner—with only four cities breaching National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)—the number of cities exceeding daily World Health Organization (WHO) pollution standards surged to 220, up from 177 in August. This increase coincided with the conclusion of the monsoon season, reflecting significant changes in air quality, particularly in states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP).
According to an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), September saw 201 Indian cities categorized as ‘Good’ on the PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI) scale, while 59 cities fell into the ‘Satisfactory’ category, and four cities were marked as ‘Moderate.’ The NAAQS in India set the annual average limits for PM2.5 at 40 µg/m³ and for PM10 at 60 µg/m³, in stark contrast to WHO’s stricter guidelines, which recommend an annual average limit of 5 µg/m³ for PM2.5 and 15 µg/m³ for PM10.
Delhi recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 43 µg/m³ in September, reflecting a decline from August’s average of 27 µg/m³. In September, the capital experienced nine days classified as “Good,” 16 as “Satisfactory,” four as “Moderate,” and one day in the “Very Poor” category (121-250 µg/m³). Byrnihat, located in Assam/Meghalaya, was identified as the most polluted city in India, with a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 73 µg/m³, consistently ranking among the top ten most polluted cities throughout the year.
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