Overview
- Delhi averaged 101 µg/m³ of PM2.5 over March 2024–February 2025, about 2.5 times India’s annual standard and 20 times the WHO guideline, according to CREA.
- CREA found 447 of 749 districts exceeded the national PM2.5 limit of 40 µg/m³ during the study period, confirming widespread noncompliance.
- The most polluted districts were clustered, with Delhi and Assam each contributing 11 of the top 50, followed by Bihar and Haryana with seven each, and smaller shares from Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Rajasthan and West Bengal.
- In several regions every monitored district breached the standard, including Delhi, Assam, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura and Jammu & Kashmir, while Ladakh and the island territories were excluded for lack of data.
- Government and oversight data show NCAP’s limited progress and use of funds, and EPIC estimates average life expectancy losses of about 3.5 years nationally and 8.2 years in Delhi relative to the WHO benchmark.