Toxic air is a year-round blight in 60% of Indian districts: study
ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION
26 NOVEMBER 2025
- People in 60% of India’s districts are exposed to polluted air all through the year, not just in winter, according to an analysis by a research body published.
- This means that 447 of 749 districts recorded concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) — toxic chemical and organic particles — that exceed the annual safe values prescribed by the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).
- Not a single district in the country reported concentrations within the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline of 5 g/m³ (microgram per cubic metre), which is about eight times more stringent than India’s standards (40 g/m³),
- The study underlines the fact that exposure to significant air pollution is not restricted to winter alone as is commonly believed.
- The maximum number of polluted districts are concentrated in a few States. Delhi (11 districts) and Assam (11 districts) alone accounted for nearly half of the top 50 most polluted districts,
- The patterns highlight the continued dominance of northern and eastern States in India’s PM2.5 pollution hotspots, while southern and coastal regions remain relatively cleaner.
