Delhi Records Best Air Quality in 8 Years
Delhi-NCR has registered its best average air quality in eight years for the January–August period of 2025 (excluding 2020, the Covid lockdown year).
Key Highlights
- Average AQI: 172 in 2025 → an improvement of 2 points over 2023 (174), and better than 187 in 2024.
- Good–Satisfactory Days (Aug 2025): 23 days → up from 8 in 2023, 18 in 2022.
- Zero ‘Severe’ Days: First time since 2018 that Jan–Aug saw no severe category AQI days.
- Satisfactory Days (Jan–Aug 2025): 65 → highest since 2018 (except 2020 lockdown year).
- PM2.5 Concentration: 74 µg/m³ → lowest in 8 years.
- PM10 Concentration: 169 µg/m³ → lowest in 8 years.
Why It Matters
This improvement reflects:
- Favourable meteorological conditions
- CAQM’s coordination with agencies
- Ongoing efforts to curb stubble burning, vehicular emissions, and industrial pollution
Indiagraphs View
The 2-point improvement from 2023 to 2025 may look modest, but it matters in Delhi’s long battle with pollution. Sustained interventions, combined with favourable conditions, have helped avoid severe spikes and deliver the cleanest Jan–Aug air in nearly a decade.
Source: PIB, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
