Gurugram 2nd-most polluted city in India, Byrnihat tops the chart

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Gurugram has emerged as the second most-polluted city in India in terms of bad air quality days, with 132 days of ‘poor’ AQI and 24 days of 'very poor' AQI recorded in 2024-25, according to data presented in the Lok Sabha.

According to The Tribune, Byrnihat in Assam fared worse, logging 164 such days, including 98 ‘poor’ and 66 ‘very poor’ days. Gurugram shared the top spot for most ‘poor’ air days with Patna, both clocking 132 days.

The figures were shared in response to an unstarred question by MPs Dr Amar Singh and Balwant Baswant Wankhade, based on National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) data compiled by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the report added.

AQI ranging from 201 to 300 falls in the ‘poor’ category and can cause breathing discomfort, especially on prolonged exposure. ‘Very poor’ AQI (301-400) may lead to respiratory illness with extended exposure.

In Haryana, Charkhi Dadri emerged as the second worst-hit, with 85 ‘poor’ and 14 ‘very poor’ air days. Faridabad followed closely with 98 such days, while Rohtak reported 80.

As per the report, Baddi in Himachal Pradesh had 88 such days, Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab had 78, and Chandigarh logged 73 days of poor air.

Highlighting efforts to combat pollution, Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh was quoted by The Tribune as saying: “The focused actions by 130 cities under NCAP have shown positive results, with 103 cities reducing PM10 concentration in 2024-25 compared to 2017-18. Of these, 64 cities showed a reduction of more than 20%, and 25 achieved a cut of over 40%.”

He said Faridabad showed 35.8% improvement, with PM10 levels falling from 229 µg/m³ in 2020-21 to 147 µg/m³ in 2024-25.

However, 23 cities showed no improvement, including Chandigarh and Derabassi. In Chandigarh, PM10 remained stagnant at 114 µg/m³ from 2017-18 to 2024-25, while Derabassi saw a rise from 88 to 98 µg/m³ in the same period.

The Tribune noted that since its launch in 2019, the NCAP has provided Rs 13,036 crore in grants to 130 cities in India. Haryana received Rs 107.14 crore (Rs 43.73 crore spent), Punjab received Rs 325.77 crore (Rs 215.46 crore spent), and Himachal Pradesh received Rs 20.18 crore (Rs 15.32 crore spent).