4 Haryana cities in India's toxic air top 10 for Oct, 5 from NCR ahead of Delhi

Gurgaon: Four Haryana cities were among India's 10 most polluted in Oct, led by Dharuhera with an average PM2.5 level of 129 µg/m³, which is double the Indian threshold of 60 µg/m³ and nearly eight times the standard of 15 µg/m³ followed by World Health Organisation.

According to an analysis by Centre for Research on Clean Energy (CREA), Gurgaon, Rohtak and Ballabhgarh were the other three Haryana cities in the top 4 averaged for the month. Unsurprisingly, Delhi-NCR and surrounding areas made up the top 10 — this is peak pollution season in these parts.

Interestingly, five NCR cities were ahead of Delhi in the top 10, once again underlining the need for homogenous anti-pollution measures across Delhi, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan — all four have BJP govts now — to clean up the airshed. Dharuhera, the industrial town in Rewari to Gurgaon's south, was followed by Rohtak (120 µg/m³), Ghaziabad (114µg/m³) and Noida (112 µg/m³).

With no significant emissions from farm fires during the period, CREA's analysis put the focus on local emissions – like construction, vehicular fumes, industry discharge and burning of waste – and the inadequacy of the state machinery's response to these during the most polluted weeks of the year. The most polluted cities are all part of industrial belts in Haryana and UP where pollution controls are weaker and enforcement inconsistent.

Out of 26 monitored days, Dharuhera witnessed only two days of ‘good' air quality and four ‘satisfactory' days in Oct, with the remainder ranging from ‘moderate' to ‘severe' pollution levels. Rohtak too faced a prolonged spell of ‘poor' air quality. Gurgaon recorded only three ‘good' air days and 17 ‘poor' or ‘very poor' days in Oct. Ballabhgarh didn't register a single ‘good' air day and witnessed ‘very poor' for more than a half month. It must be noted here that the data itself is compromised because several monitoring stations across Haryana have been inconsistently recording data, going offline intermittently. The actual pollution levels might be higher, and the ‘good' air day may not actually be one.

The AQI in Dharuhera will be a cause for concern for the densely packed manufacturing hub located on the Delhi-Jaipur industrial corridor and home to auto-ancillary units, metal and plastic units and warehousing hubs.

Coupled with movement of trucks and freight, there is a build-up of particulate emissions, especially during winter.

Rohtak witnesses heavy inter-district and inter-state traffic. Pollution is compounded by construction dust and waste burning in residential areas.

The report has flagged a major policy gap. Clean air efforts and public attention remain focused on Delhi and its immediate neighbours but towns that poison the same air shed are not included in the National Clean Air Programme. CREA describes this as "persistent severe air quality issues" with "no action plans to reduce pollution levels".

"Winter and festive periods don't create India's pollution problem, they expose it. These seasonal spikes merely amplify baseline pollution levels that remain dangerously high throughout the year. The predictable spike is substantially preventable if we prioritise sector-specific emission cuts with clear accountability mechanisms. Instead, policy responses remain reactive and seasonal, failing to address the year-round sources driving this crisis," said Manoj Kumar, an analyst at CREA.