Ghaziabad, Greater Noida and Noida Most Polluted Cities in India

A thick blanket of pollution-laden smog continued to cover the National Capital Region (NCR) area on Wednesday, solidifying it as India’s most polluted region, even as a seasonal pollutant like stubble burning decreased sharply this week.

According to the latest data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the four most polluted cities in the country are now located in NCR, with Ghaziabad leading the pack at a dangerous Air Quality Index (AQI) of 422.

NCR Leads the Pollution List

Greater Noida (AQI 420) and Noida (AQI 409) also registered “severe” air pollution levels. Delhi, while slightly less polluted, was in striking distance of that level with an AQI of 392, classified as “very poor.”

The dominant air pollutants in all of the cities mentioned remained PM2.5 and PM10, which are fine particulate matter that can enter the bloodstream and create severe respiratory and cardiovascular issues.

Notably, all of the top 10 most polluted cities worldwide on Wednesday are located in the NCR, which continues a troubling trend. A look at air pollution data from the first 19 days of November shows that NCR cities have ranked as India’s most polluted cities on 14 days in November so far.

Prognosis: Air Quality is About to Deteriorate Admittedly

Don’t expect any relief in the near term. The Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi has forecast that the air quality will remain in “very poor” air quality category until Friday and shift to “severe” over the weekend.

According to the forecast for next week from both the EWS and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the air quality will fluctuate continuously between “very poor” and level “severe”– with stagnant weather providing little else to improve conditions.

Agricultural stubble burning for air pollution is particularly low there are indications of a continuous significant decline in air pollution due to aggravated stubble burning. The Decision Support System (DSS) recorded an estimated contribution to Delhi’s PM2.5 from farm fires on Wednesday of only 3.88% — down from 16.13% on Monday

The reduction in stubble burning in air pollution corresponds with low fire activity, with Punjab reporting only 16 active farm fires and Haryana only 11 farm fires; it denotes some of the lowest fire activity so far in the current season.

Local Emissions are Now the Top Offender

Farm fires are almost nonexistent, and local emissions are now once again the main drivers of toxic air in the NCR.

DSS indicates:

Transportation: 18.03% share of PM2.5

Residential emissions: 4.65%

Industrial Pollution: 4.23%

Sunil Dahiya, environmental analyst and founder of Envirocatalysts, said that the NCR’s pollution situation is a combination of converging pressures—high population density, urban traffic density, energy consumption, uncontrolled waste generation, and industrial and commercial densities. The NCR is within a unique geophysical space adjacent to the Aravalli ranges and the Himalayas, which contributes to polluting conditions during periods of low wind.

NCR Already Under GRAP Stage-3 Restrictions

The NCR is under Stage-3 of the GRAP, which prohibits:

Non-essential construction

The operation of specific categories of private vehicles

Additional restrictions on industrial activity

As temperatures go below normal and winds remain weak, pollutants are not moving, therefore impacting the already poor air quality that millions are forced to live with and breathe.

Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, and Noida lead the list of the most polluted cities in the country, and the NCR region still deals with some of the most polluted air in India. The dramatic drop in stubble-burning contributions shows that local sources of emissions and stagnant weather are now the primary drivers of poor air quality. With forecasts showing further declines, the region may face an even worse episode of pollution soon—putting people at risk and putting pressure on decision-makers to take urgent and effective action.