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Cse In News

Delhi AQI Today: Battle With Pollution Gets 'Severe' As 14 Locations Record Toxic Air Quality

Delhi recorded 'severe' air quality at several locations on Wednesday morning. As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data from 40 monitoring stations across Delhi, as many 14 stations recorded AQI above 401 at 7:05 AM, falling in severe category. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) for the national capital stood at 376 on 3 December. This comes after Delhi registered 279 AQI in 'poror' range on 30 November, 304 on 1 December and 372 on 2 December. As a blanket of smog covers the capital city, Delhi recorded an AQI reading of 376. The list of areas where the air pollution level is the highest and AQI is in 'severe' range is listed below: Anand Vihar - 405 Ashok Vikar - 403 Bawana - 408 Chandni Chowk - 431 Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range - 406 Jahangirpuri - 406 Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium - 405 Nehru Nagar - 436 Okhla - 404 RK Puram - 420 Rohini - 417 Sirifort - 408 Vivek Vihar - 415 Wazirpur - 406 CPCB's Sameer app reading shows NSIT Dwarka as the only location across the national capital with AQI in 'poor' range. All the remaining 25 stations recorded 'very poor' AQI today. Nehru Nagar and Chandni Chowk recorded the worst air quality today. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) recently releases a report analysing annual air quality trends in the national capital early winter months - October to November. Giving a clear view the growing toxicity of the air, the report said,“more worrying is the daily synchronised rise of PM2.5 and other toxic gases of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) largely from vehicles and combustion sources, creating a toxic cocktail that has gone unnoticed. The long-term air quality trend in Delhi has also plateaued without showing improvement. This signals an urgent need for deep-rooted shifts in infrastructure and systems to upscale action to cut emissions from vehicles, industry, power plants, waste, construction and household energy.” Chronic exposure to toxic air not only triggers breathing difficulties among people with asthma, lung conditions or heart diseases but also poses risk of respiratory diseases even in healthy individuals. Pointing to worsening of air quality in smaller towns of the National Capital region (NCR), the report added, "The tinier towns in the region display more intense and longer-lasting smog buildup. Even though the peak pollution spikes are lower this winter due to lesser contribution of farm fires, the airshed is getting increasingly more saturated."

A Decade Of Smog: No Indian Metro Has Breathed Safe Air Since 2015; Experts Weigh In

This isn’t new to experts. As Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science & Environment, points out, “Nowhere in India do we meet the WHO air-quality guideline… anything above that is technically unsafe.” The Indo-Gangetic Plain, she adds, is “a constrained geography with mountains on one side and no sea breeze; pollution here doesn’t just accumulate, it gets trapped.”

Toxic Smog Returns To Delhi As AQI Nears Severe; Cold Wave May Worsen Pollution

Delhi’s air quality sees a sharp deterioration once again on Wednesday, slipping dangerously close to the ‘severe’ category as temperatures continued to fall. As recorded on December 3 at 7 am, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 337, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), placing the national capital firmly in the ‘very poor’ zone. IMD issues cold wave warning starting Friday The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued a forecast warning of a likely cold wave beginning Friday, which may further trap pollutants and worsen smog levels. While the overall AQI remained in the ‘very poor’ range, several monitoring stations recorded alarming ‘severe’ readings. Among the worst-hit locations were RK Puram (420), Rohini (417), Vivek Vihar (415), Bawana (408), Wazirpur (406), Anand Vihar (405), Ashok Vihar (403), and Sonia Vihar (400). The IGI Airport area reported comparatively lower pollution levels, though its AQI of 303 still fell within the ‘very poor’ category. CSE Flags Rising Toxicity Despite Fewer Farm Fires A recent analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) of early winter trends has raised concerns about the rising toxicity of Delhi’s air and the stagnation of long-term air quality improvement. Despite a significantly reduced contribution from stubble burning this season, the city’s pollution levels have persisted at very poor to severe levels. According to the CSE report, this underscores the dominance of local pollution sources particularly vehicular emissions, combustion activities, and industrial pollutants. Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director at CSE, noted that Delhi can “no longer hide behind the smokescreen of farm fires,” as the increase in PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO) points to a dangerous mix of local pollutants creating a “toxic cocktail.” The report also highlighted that pollution levels across the NCR region have become increasingly uniform, with smaller towns experiencing prolonged smog episodes.

Not Just Delhi: Data Reveals New Pollution Hotspots Emerging Across India

Every winter, Delhi takes the spotlight for its toxic air and dangerously poor AQI, but zoom out, and you'll find that several parts of India, especially across the north, are not far behind. Recent studies have identified severe air pollution hotspots and airsheds in cities and districts across Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Rajasthan, and West Bengal. Experts tell The Quint that although mitigation policies exist on paper, they are poorly implemented on the ground, with almost no monitoring systems to ensure compliance. While Delhi’s pollution-control measures are endlessly debated, the other severely polluted regions rarely enter the conversation.

The Toxic Shadow Over Kochi: From Commercial Hub to Pollution Crisis

Kochi, the vibrant queen of the Arabian Sea and the commercial heartbeat of Kerala, has long been synonymous with bustling ports, spice trades, and economic promise. Alongside its twin district Ernakulam, it drives the state’s growth, hosting major industries like the Cochin Refinery, Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore (FACT), and Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL). Yet, beneath this facade of prosperity lies a grim reality: Kochi and Ernakulam have morphed into Kerala’s unintended “pollution capital.” Industrial effluents choke the Periyar River—the lifeline supplying drinking water to millions—while airborne toxins blanket the air, fueling a surge in pollution-linked illnesses. Scientific reports and health surveys paint a dire picture of a city edging toward uninhabitability, especially for the elderly and children, whose fragile health bears the brunt of this man-made scourge. The Periyar River:A Lifeline Turned Poisoned Vein The Periyar River, originating from the Western Ghats and snaking through Ernakulam district, is more than a waterway—it’s the primary source of potable water for Kochi’s sprawling urban expanse and its suburbs. But decades of unchecked industrialization have transformed it into a toxic artery. The Eloor-Edayar industrial belt, a cluster of over 247 chemical and manufacturing units, dumps untreated effluents laden with heavy metals, ammonia, phosphates, and organic waste directly into the river. A 2021 analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) revealed alarmingly high levels of these pollutants in the river’s stretch through this zone, with Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)—a key indicator of organic pollution—frequently exceeding 8 mg/L near Eloor, far above the safe limit of 3 mg/L for drinking water sources. Recent incidents underscore the crisis’s acuity. In May 2024, a massive fish kill along the Eloor-Edayar stretch triggered an urgent probe into industrial violations, highlighting how effluents from units like the Cochin Refinery and FACT—major producers of petrochemicals and fertilizers—continue to evade strict enforcement by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). KSPCB’s monitoring data from April 2025 shows critically high pollution levels at all major stations across Ernakulam, with heavy metals like mercury and lead persisting in sediments and groundwater. A spatio-temporal study spanning 2003–2023 linked these discharges to broader land-use changes, estimating that industrialization has degraded groundwater quality across 7.4% of the study area, exposing over 590,000 people to health risks from contaminated sources. The fallout extends to aquatic life and fisheries, vital for local livelihoods. Dried fish from Kerala’s coast, including Periyar-fed regions, show elevated lead (Pb) and chromium (Cr) levels—Pb up to levels warranting concern—attributed to anthropogenic pollution from ports and industries. Seasonal variations exacerbate the issue; monsoon dilutions offer temporary relief, but dry-season concentrations of heavy metals in fish tissues spike, as documented in a 2017 IOSR Journal study. Air Pollution: A Smoggy Stranglehold on Urban Life If the Periyar is Kochi’s poisoned underbelly, the air above is its suffocating shroud. Rapid urbanization, construction dust, vehicular emissions, and industrial stacks have driven air quality into the red zone. As of December 2025, Kochi’s real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) hovers at 157—classified as “Unhealthy”—with PM2.5 levels reaching 90 µg/m³, well above the World Health Organization’s annual guideline of 5 µg/m³. AccuWeather forecasts for the week predict sustained “Unhealthy” levels (AQI 103–105), urging sensitive groups to limit outdoor exposure. Ernakulam district, with the state’s most monitoring stations, reports a steady climb in PM2.5 concentrations, mirroring trends from 2022 data where levels remained elevated or worsened year-over-year. Visible smog now blankets early mornings and evenings, drawing eerie parallels to Delhi’s winter haze, as noted by environmentalists like Dr. C.M. Joy of the Kerala Nature Protection Council. Deforestation for projects like the Kochi Metro—without adequate replanting—has trapped pollutants in stagnant air, amplified by low winds and high humidity. A COVID-19 lockdown study in the Eloor belt revealed how industrial halts briefly improved river water quality, but post-lockdown rebounds underscored the sector’s dominance in air toxics too. KSPCB’s integrated reports highlight nutrient pollution from agriculture and industry as primary culprits, with surface water quality declining across Kerala’s urban rivers like the Periyar. The Human Toll: A Surge in Pollution-Linked Ailments The environmental decay is etching itself into public health, with pulmonary and respiratory diseases skyrocketing. A 2019 study in Kochi found chronic respiratory morbidity afflicting one in every ten bus drivers and conductors—high-exposure workers—linked directly to ambient particulates. Surveys reveal that 34% of residents perceive air pollution as having a “moderate” impact on asthma, while 26% report “significant” effects, with bronchial asthma prevalence among children and adolescents driving frequent hospitalizations and school absenteeism. Non-smokers, particularly women, are seeing an alarming uptick in pulmonary issues, as flagged in a 2014 Hindu report, with exposure to high PM levels triggering chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and allergies. A 2025 perception study across Ernakulam’s industrial zones found that nearly one-fourth of daily patients at government clinics present with respiratory, dermatological, or cardiac ailments attributed to pollution—symptoms like wheezing, skin rashes, and heart strain disproportionately hitting the vulnerable. Older adults and children, with developing or waning lung capacities, face the harshest blows; a 2019 urban prevalence survey tied symptoms like cough and breathlessness to age, smoking history, and family predispositions, but emphasized pollution as the accelerant. Globally, air pollution claims 7 million lives annually from cardiopulmonary causes, and Kerala’s urban burden mirrors this, with models projecting a 10% PM2.5 hike could amplify disease loads in cities like Kochi by exacerbating asthma and COPD. The National Centre for Disease Control’s Kerala adaptation plan calls for routine screenings for pollution-related ills, underscoring the urgency.

Delhi air remains ‘very poor’ despite drop in farm fires, CSE study flags rising local emissions

Amid the worrying levels of pollution in Delhi, a new study on early winter in the capital and its adjoining areas have pointed out that the city’s air quality falls between ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ even when the contribution of farm fires has reduced. This basically means that local sources are adding to the pollution. As per the report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the daily rise of PM2.5 and other toxic gases such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO), is largely released from vehicles and combustion sources. Additionally, it has been noted that the longer term air quality trends in Delhi have also not shown much improvement. This hints at an urgent need for ‘deep rooted shifts in infrastructure and systems to upscale action to cut emissions from vehicles, industry, power plants, waste, and construction and household energy’, said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at CSE. The analysis is on the basis of air quality data from the portal of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Toxic pollutants from vehicular plumes see rise in early winter: CSE study

Toxic pollutants from vehicular plumes — nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) — have shown a surge this early winter, a new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), an independent Delhi-based think tank, has flagged. The assessment, released on Monday, mapped early winter trends from October to November this year. The study noted that even with a “lesser contribution of farm fires” — that was below 5 per cent on most days, between 5 to 15 per cent on a few days, and peaking at 22 per cent on November 12-13 — the air quality remained poor, indicating the high impact of year-round local sources. The CSE’s earlier assessments have found a strong correlation between traffic congestion and elevated NO₂ levels, especially during peak hours on working days when travel speeds fall. Multiple studies — both global and national — have also linked exposure to traffic pollutants with excess morbidity and mortality among drivers, commuters, and people living near major roadways, including triggering and worsening respiratory diseases. The study has identified Vivek Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Nehru Nagar, Alipur, Siri Fort, Dwarka Sector 8, and Patparganj as emerging hotspots, noting that these locations “have remained persistent hotspots for four consecutive years”. It said that the Delhi government needs to take action like it did in 2018, even outside the 13 identified hotspots. Another key finding shows that smaller NCR towns witnessed worse smog episodes during high-intensity pollution days. “Several NCR cities remained just as polluted as Delhi, and often worse, with towns like Bahadurgarh recording significantly higher smog intensities during this period. A region-wide smog episode affected NCR towns, but it was Bahadurgarh that endured the most persistent conditions, with the episode lasting a full 10 days, from 9 to 18 November,” it stated. Bahadurgarh recorded an average smog intensity of 343 µg/m³, nearly 1.2 times of Delhi’s average. This shows that the region now behaves as a single air-shed where smaller towns are no longer cleaner gaps, but pollution hotspots facing equal or greater pressure. The pattern of local sources driving PM2.5 levels is well established. Last year, the CSE found that even when stubble-burning impact was minimal at 0.7 per cent between October 10 and 20, particulate concentrations remained high and the city saw no “good” air days. Experts have repeatedly warned that Delhi’s baseline emissions stay elevated throughout the year and only worsen during episodic events like farm fires. In its recommendations, the CSE called for deep structural changes mainly in vehicular sector, such as meeting vehicle electrification targets with strict timelines, scrappage of older vehicles, scaling up integrated public transport with last-mile connectivity and walking-cycling infrastructure and restraining personal vehicle use through parking caps, pricing, and congestion tax. Other recommendations include a focus on enabling industry to switch to affordable cleaner fuels with stringent emission norms, lowering natural gas taxes and electrifying industrial processes. It has also recommended that the focus should be on legacy waste remediation. Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said in a statement that with the paddy harvesting season drawing to a close, Punjab and Haryana have recorded a significant decline in farm fires. Punjab recorded 5,114 fires this season, reflecting a reduction of 53% from 2024, 86% from 2023, 90% from 2022, and 93% from 2021. Likewise, Haryana logged 662 incidents, registering a 53% reduction from 2024, 71% from 2023, 81% from 2022, and 91% from 2021. The commission said, “These numbers represent the most significant decline achieved since CAQM began monitoring state-specific crop residue management measures.”

Delhi’s air pollution is of its own making. Stubble burning not the main culprit, says CSE

Vehicular emissions and not stubble fires are the biggest contributions to Delhi’s foul winter air, a new analysis by the national capital-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown. It also showed that the level of fine pollutants has shown no improvement since 2022, indicating that pollution control measures being implemented by government agencies have not been effective. The report released Monday shows a repeated pattern where PM2.5 rises and falls which is in sync with the nitrogen dioxide during morning and evening peak and rush hours, showing the pivotal role of the traffic in daily pollution rise. Nitrogen dioxide shows a sharp and immediate peak from tailpipe emissions, whereas PM2.5 accumulates more slowly but stays trapped under shallow winter boundary layers. Carbon monoxide, another harmful gas where vehicles are the biggest emitters, has shown an exceeding rise across the city. “What’s more worrying is the daily synchronised rise of PM2.5 and other toxic gases such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO), largely from vehicles and combustion sources, creating a toxic cocktail that has gone unnoticed,” CSE executive director-research and advocacy Anumita Roychowdhury said in a statement. She added that the trends signal an urgent need for deep rooted shifts in infrastructure and systems to upscale action for cutting emissions from vehicles, industry, power plants, waste, construction and household energy.

Traffic, not stubble, behind daily pollution spikes in Delhi: Study

Even with farm fires at a multi-year low, Delhi-NCR's winter air remains suffocating. For most of October and November, pollution levels hovered between 'very poor' and 'severe', fuelled by a rising "toxic cocktail" of PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO) emitted mainly from vehicles and other local sources. At least 22 air-quality monitoring stations in Delhi recorded carbon monoxide (CO) levels above permissible limits on more than 30 of the 59 days assessed, with Dwarka Sector 8 logging the highest number of breaches at 55 days, followed by Jahangirpuri and Delhi University's North Campus, both at 50 days, according to a new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

Traffic, not stubble burning, behind Delhi’s pollution spike: Study

Even with farm fires at a multi-year low, Delhi-NCR’s winter air remains polluted. For most of October and November, AQI levels hovered between ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’. A new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) shows that emissions from vehicle and other local sources are mainly responsible for daily pollution spikes in the Capital. This has created a daily “toxic cocktail” of PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO).

CSE study: Vehicles key culprit behind pollution load

Gases such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) have shown significant spikes in Delhi-NCR in a new analysis of early winter trends, surging with traffic emissions trapped under shallow winter boundary layers. These findings, experts said, point to the strong influence that traffic-related emissions have on Delhi’s daily pollution spikes. The analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), released Monday, also noted that while peak pollution levels have been lower this early winter compared to previous years, the average pollution levels remain largely unchanged. The study, covering the period from October 1 to November 15, found PM2.5 rising and falling almost in tandem with NO2 during morning (7-10am) and evening (6-9pm) hours – a clear indication of the impact of traffic emissions and congestion. CSE said NO2 displayed sharper, more immediate peaks linked directly to vehicular plumes, while PM2.5 showed broader peaks as fine particles accumulated and dispersed more slowly. CO, which is also predominantly emitted from vehicles, showed widespread exceedances across Delhi this winter. More than half (22) monitoring stations recorded CO levels above the eight-hour standard on more than 30 of the 59 study days, pointing to persistent traffic-linked emissions. Delhi has a total of 40 air quality stations.

Despite hazardous air, Delhi records its lowest average AQI since 2018

Even as a thick blanket of toxic haze continues to hang over the national capital, the Central government informed Parliament on Monday that Delhi has recorded its lowest average Air Quality Index (AQI) this year since 2018, except for the unusual year of 2020, when pollution levels dropped sharply due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) showed that stubble-burning events in Punjab alone fell from 49,922 in 2022 to 5,114 in 2025. The Centre for Science and Environment also noted that while air pollution remains dangerous, the peak pollution levels were lower this winter due to fewer farm fires.