A sharp increase in air pollution was recorded in Northern India during the month of November. According to a new report, an increase in PM 2.5 levels has been seen in all 20 cities of NCR this time compared to last year i.e. 2024. In this, Ghaziabad has emerged as the most polluted city of the country in November 2025.
Stifling air in 20 NCR cities
According to the latest report of CREA (Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air), an organization that researches on energy and clean air, the average PM 2.5 level in NCR cities for the month of November was 224 μg/m³, which falls in the extremely dangerous category.
What is the cause of pollution?
CREA said in its annual pollution report that pollution remained at its peak in November due to fireworks during Diwali and increased smoke in winter.
CRI analyst Manoj Kumar said that the biggest reason for pollution in NCR is not stubble burning, the main factors of pollution are transportation, industry, power plants and other burning things.
In the report, along with Ghaziabad, cities like Noida, Bahadurgarh, Delhi, Hapur, Greater Noida, Baghpat, Sonipat, Meerut and Rohtak are included in the top 10 most polluted cities. Of these, there are 6 cities of Uttar Pradesh, while 3 cities of Haryana are included.
Shillong is the cleanest city
Meghalaya’s capital Shillong has been declared the cleanest city in the list, where the average PM2.5 in November was only 7 micrograms per cubic meter. Six cities of Karnataka are included in the top 10 cleanest cities, while Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are also in this list.
