Dharuhera in Haryana was the most polluted city in India during October 2025, according to The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA)’s Monthly Air Quality Snapshot released on November 4.
All 10 most polluted cities in India during October were located within the National Capital Region (NCR), according to the report.
Dharuhera had a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 123 microgram per cubic metre (μg/m³), breaching National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) limit on 77 per cent of days. The town recorded two ‘Severe’ and nine ‘Very Poor’ days during the month, a statement by CREA noted.
Following Dharuhera were Rohtak, Ghaziabad, Noida, Ballabgarh, Delhi, Bhiwadi, Greater Noida, Hapur, and Gurgaon. All these are in the NCR and in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Overall, four cities each from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana dominated the top 10 list.
Delhi, with an average concentration of 107 μg/m³, was at sixth place. Its October PM2.5 concentration was three times higher than its September average of 36 μg/m³.
“Despite stubble burning contributing less than 6% of Delhi’s PM2.5 levels in October, the sharp rise highlights the impact of year-round emission sources and the need for long-term mitigation plans beyond short seasonal measures like the Graded Response Action Plan,” the CREA statement noted.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya’s capital of Shillong was India’s cleanest city in October with an average PM2.5 concentration of 10 μg/m³. The top 10 cleanest cities included four from Karnataka, three from Tamil Nadu, and one each from Meghalaya, Sikkim, and Chhattisgarh.
Of 249 cities with sufficient data (over 80 per cent of days monitored), 212 cities recorded PM2.5 levels below India’s NAAQS of 60 μg/m³. However, only six cities met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) daily safe guideline of 15 μg/m³.
In October, cities with ‘Good’air quality (0-30 μg/m³) dropped from 179 in September to 68, while those in the ‘Satisfactory’ range (31-60 μg/m³) increased from 52 to 144.
Cities in the ‘Moderate’ range (61-90 μg/m³) rose from 4 to 27, while 9 cities fell into the ‘Poor’ (91-120 μg/m³) category and one city reached the ‘Very Poor’ (121-250 μg/m³) category. This shift toward higher pollution levels was concentrated in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, especially within the NCR, according to the statement.
“Winter and festive periods don’t create India’s pollution problem, they expose it. These seasonal spikes merely amplify baseline pollution levels that remain dangerously high throughout the year. This predictable surge is substantially preventable if we prioritise sector-specific emission cuts with clear accountability mechanisms. Instead, policy responses remain reactive and seasonal, failing to address the year-round sources driving this crisis,” said Manoj Kumar, analyst at CREA.