The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) recently released a monthly air quality snapshot for October 2025 and the comprehensive annual report, "Tracing the Hazy Air 2025: Progress Report on National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)". 

Monthly Air Quality Snapshot (October 2025) 
The latest monthly report highlights a sharp deterioration in air quality across India, particularly in the National Capital Region (NCR). 

• Most Polluted City: Dharuhera in Haryana was ranked as India's most polluted city in October, with a PM2.5 monthly average of 123 µg/m³, which is significantly above the national safe limit.
• NCR Dominance: All of the top 10 most polluted cities in October were located within the NCR and Indo-Gangetic Plain.
• Delhi's Ranking: Delhi was the sixth most polluted city in the country for October.
• Key Finding: The report noted that the rise in pollution levels, despite stubble burning contributing less than 6% to Delhi's PM2.5 in October, highlights the impact of year-round local emission sources and the need for long-term mitigation plans. 

Tracing the Hazy Air 2025 (Annual Report)
This report assesses the progress of India's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). 

• Widespread Exceedance: In 2024, out of 256 cities with sufficient PM2.5 data, 150 cities exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). All cities with monitoring data exceeded the World Health Organization's (WHO) guidelines for PM2.5.
• Most Polluted Cities (Annual Average 2024): Byrnihat (Assam), Delhi, and Gurgaon (Haryana) were the top three most polluted cities in India based on annual average PM2.5 concentrations.
• NCAP Shortcomings: The report highlighted a significant gap in the NCAP, as 100 of the 163 cities that exceeded the NAAQS are not included in the program, meaning they lack formal action plans to reduce air pollution. 

Other Recent CREA Reports

• Mid-Year Air Quality Assessment for India (Jan-Jun 2024): This report found Byrnihat to be the most polluted city in the first half of 2024, with Delhi  ranking third.
• Health Impacts in Delhi: An analysis of Global Burden of Disease data by CREA revealed that air pollution was linked to nearly 15% of all deaths in Delhi in 2023, exceeding deaths from high blood pressure and diabetes.
• Global Energy Transitions: Other recent reports have focused on topics such as China's declining carbon emissions, the impact of the ban on overseas coal power projects by China, and how India, China, and Indonesia are on track to peak power sector emissions before 2030 if they maintain clean energy momentum.

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