Hyderabad maintains clean air amid rising pollution nationwide: CREA report

The city recorded a PM2.5 level of 31 µg/m³ in October, placing it within the “satisfactory” air quality category and within India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

Hyderabad: Hyderabad’s air quality held strong in October, bucking a nationwide trend of rising pollution as northern and central Indian cities saw significant jumps in PM2.5 concentrations.

According to a report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), the city recorded a PM2.5 level of 31 µg/m³ in October, placing it within the “satisfactory” air quality category and within India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), while many other cities struggled with rising particulate matter levels.

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The latest air quality report highlighted that while 214 cities out of 263 with monitoring stations met India’s NAAQS of 60 µg/m³ for PM2.5, only 13 cities managed to stay within the World Health Organization’s recommended daily limit of 15 µg/m³.

Hyderabad’s air, benefiting from the prolonged effects of the monsoon, consistently registered lower PM2.5 levels compared to pollution spikes in cities like Delhi, where October averages exceeded twice the NAAQS limit.

Delhi was notably impacted by stubble burning from nearby states, contributing to PM2.5 levels that frequently hit “poor” and “very poor” categories.