Paper: GS – III, Subject: Environment and Ecology, Topic: Pollution, Issue: Pollution disparities in India.
Context:
Air pollution affects all Indian cities, but its severity varies widely across regions. Between 2015 and 2025, northern cities especially those in the Indo-Gangetic Plain consistently experienced the worst air quality.
Key Takeaways:
While no major city met safe AQI standards, studies like Climate Trends’ assessment show that pollution levels remain disproportionately higher in the north compared to the south and west.
Regional Variations in Air Quality:
- A recent analysis of air quality data from 2015 to November 2025 across 11 major Indian cities (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Varanasi, and Visakhapatnam) reveals a concerning trend:
- no city recorded safe air quality levels during this period.
- However, the study also highlights significant regional variations, with North Indian cities consistently exhibiting higher pollution levels than those in the South and West.
- North India: Cities like Delhi, Lucknow, and Varanasi experienced prolonged periods of elevated AQI, often exceeding 200.
- While some improvement has been observed since 2019, AQI values in these cities remain above healthy limits in 2025.
- South and West India: Cities like Chennai, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam, and Mumbai generally exhibited better air quality, with AQI ranging from 80 to 140.
- Bengaluru recorded the best air quality among the 11 cities, but still fell short of safe AQI levels.
Factors Contributing to Higher Pollution in North India:
North India’s higher pollution stems from landlocked geography, winter inversion, dense urbanisation and stubble burning. Addressing this issue requires a multi-pronged approach, including stricter emission standards, promotion of clean energy sources, improved urban planning, and measures to reduce stubble burning.
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