Authorities have found serious and repeated failures by industries in Delhi-NCR to follow pollution rules. Many units are either ignoring emission standards or not using proper control equipment.

Once A Seasonal Problem, Toxic Levels Now Persist Across All Seasons

But No Focus On Secondary Aerosols That Keep Pollution High, Say Experts

Yet To Be Integrated With CPCB Network Amid Raging Row

Expert Committee’s Report Suggests Quality Audits And Improved Labs

Faridabad’s annual average levels of PM10 — tiny dust particles harmful to health — remain more than 2.5 times above India’s safe limit. Even though the city has cut these pollution levels somewhat over the past five years, it has spent only about half of its allotted anti-pollution budget under the government’s clean-air programme.

Environmentalists see the Budget as a missed opportunity to tackle the health emergency.

Despite severe pollution, Delhi spent only ₹781.4 crore out of the ₹1.7 lakh crore collected till 4 December last year.

In 2025, Delhi met the national PM2.5 air quality standard on only 156 out of 365 days. This accounted for just 43 per cent of the year, with only four such days recorded during the winter season, which remained the most polluted period.

New Delhi’s air quality remained in the severe category on Sunday, with AQI readings touching levels last seen two years ago, making the second half of January among the worst on record.

In a major citizen-centric move with significant environmental implications, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will offer free cremation services at all electric and CNG-based crematoriums in the national capital. The decision, described by officials as a “mega step”, aims to promote eco-friendly last rites while easing the financial burden on bereaved families.

The Delhi government has declared that residents’ welfare associations (RWAs), housing societies, institutions, government and private establishments, contractors, agencies or any other entity will be held responsible if a person engaged, employed or deployed under their authority is found indulging in open burning.

Petrol Dominant Category, EV Nos See Fall, Underlining Emission Challenge.

PM Emissions Still Far Higher Than National, WHO Cutoffs

After repeated insistence from councillors, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has finalised a plan to introduce the use of cow dung cakes or logs in cremations on a pilot basis in three facilities — Green Park, Dwarka and Jwala Nagar. While councillors have pitched the move as an eco-friendly measure to reduce wood use and costs, experts have raised concerns over pollution and practical challenges.

ITO, Anand Vihar, Lodhi Road And Wazirpur Among Hotspots For Highly Reactive Gas

ITO, Anand Vihar, Lodhi Road And Wazirpur Among Hotspots For Highly Reactive Gas

Delhi’s fire department is grappling with a steady stream of calls related to garbage burning — a problem that is contributing significantly to Delhi’s worsening air pollution.

How did Beijing go from being the ‘smog capital of the world’ to conditions in research papers on tackling air pollution? China has lessons for India. In a series of posts on X, spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India, Yu Jing, laid out the path that Beijing followed to drastically improve air quality.

Gurgaon’s air quality worsened sharply as low wind speed, dense fog and falling temperatures trapped pollutants near the ground, pushing the AQI into the ‘very poor’ category.