India’s Air Quality Crisis: Delhi and Ghaziabad Top Most Polluted Cities in January 2026

NEW DELHI, February 7, 2026 — India’s winter smog shows no signs of relenting as the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) released its January 2026 Monthly Air Quality Snapshot. The report paints a stark picture for the National Capital Region (NCR), with Ghaziabad and Delhi emerging as the top two most polluted cities in the country.

NCR: The Smog Epicenter

Ghaziabad has claimed the top spot as the most polluted city in India, recording a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 184 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³). Alarmingly, the city breached India’s daily National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) on every single day of the month.

Delhi followed closely in second place with an average PM2.5 level of 169 µg/m³. While January 2026 was statistically the “second-best” January in five years for the capital, the numbers are still nearly three times higher than the national annual limit of 60 µg/m³ and over ten times the World Health Organization’s (WHO) daily safe guideline of 15 µg/m³.

A National Health Emergency

The crisis is not limited to the capital. Of the 248 cities analyzed across India:

• 123 cities failed to meet the national PM2.5 standards.
• Zero cities complied with the WHO’s daily safe air quality guidelines.
• The top 10 most polluted list was dominated by North Indian hubs, including Noida, Gurugram, Greater Noida, and Bhiwadi.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) remains the primary concern for health experts. These tiny particles, often less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter, can bypass the body’s natural filters, entering the deep lung tissue and even the bloodstream, causing long-term cardiovascular and respiratory damage.

Policy Failures and the Path Ahead

The report highlights significant gaps in the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Despite its existence, 46 out of the 97 NCAP cities with sufficient data remained non-compliant with national air quality limits.

CREA analysts have called for an immediate shift in strategy. “We need to move beyond managing road dust and focus on the primary sources,” said Manoj Kumar, CREA India Analyst. The recommendation involves a transition to an “Airshed-based Approach,” treating the entire regional atmosphere as a single unit rather than tackling pollution city by city. Furthermore, experts emphasize the need for stricter emission norms for industries and power plants to prevent the recurring winter “gas chamber” effect in North India.