Ghaziabad was the most polluted city in India in November, with a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 224 microgram per cubic metre and air quality remaining above the national standards on all 30 days, according to a new analysis.
Noida, Bahadurgarh, Delhi, Hapur, Greater Noida, Baghpat, Sonipat, Meerut and Rohtak joined Ghaziabad among the 10 most polluted cities, the report by think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said.
Uttar Pradesh accounted for six of these cities, followed by Haryana with three and Delhi.
Except Delhi, all other cities in the top 10 logged higher PM2.5 levels than the previous year.
Delhi ranked the fourth most polluted city with a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 215 microgram per cubic metre in November, almost double its October average of 107. The city saw 23 very poor days, six severe days and one poor day.
The influence of stubble burning was lower this year, contributing an average of 7 per cent to Delhi's pollution in November, compared to 20 per cent last year. The peak contribution reached 22 per cent, well below 38 per cent recorded last year, CREA said.
Except Bahadurgarh, none of the top 10 cities saw even one day within the safe daily limit under the national standards. Several other cities, including Charkhi Dadri, Bulandshahr, Jind, Muzaffarnagar, Gurgaon, Khurja, Bhiwani, Karnal, Yamunanagar and Faridabad, also reported PM2.5 levels above the limit every day.
"Despite a significant reduction in stubble-burning influence, 20 out of 29 NCR cities recorded higher pollution levels than the previous year and many still did not register a single day within NAAQS limits. This clearly indicates that the dominant drivers are year-round sources such as transport, industry, power plants and other combustion sources. Without sector-specific emission cuts, cities will continue to breach standards," said Manoj Kumar, Analyst at CREA.
At the state level, Rajasthan had the highest number of polluted cities, with 23 of 34 exceeding the national limit in November. -- PTI