Delhi Vs Noida Vs Gurugram: Which NCR City Has the Worst Air Quality?

India is entering November with most of its cities wrapped in a thick blanket of smog and the air quality index (AQI) ranging from severe to hazardous. In the midst of this pollution, Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) often take centre stage during discussions. 

However, the AQIs in Delhi and NCR are not equally bad; some are worse than the others. The air quality in Greater Noida, for instance, came under the 'hazardous' category and stood at 404 as of 6:40 a.m. IST; this is equivalent to smoking nealry 9 cigarettes a day. 

Ghaziabad too was under the same category with a 398 AQI level. 

Delhi, suprisingly did not make it to the top 15 list of the most polluted cities in the world, with air quality levels around 377, under the 'severe' category. Noida followed closely, with AQI standing at 367. 

Gurugram's AQI was better than rest of the major districts in the National Capital region even as it was still under the 'severe' range and stood at 354. Faridabad was not far away, with air quality ranging around 360 levels. 

What Are The Ten Most Polluted Cities In India? 

Despite the chatter around Delhi's AQI, one state that stands out in terms of the worst air quality is Punjab, with five cities making it to the top 10 most polluted places world-wide list. 

Here's the ranking along with the AQI levels for Indian cities: 

1. Jalandhar: 532 (Hazardous)

2. Faridkot: 476 (Hazardous)

3. Amritsar: 468 (Hazardous)

4. Ludhiana: 464 (Hazardous)

5. Pathankot: 458 (Hazardous)

6. Bikaner: 442 (Hazardous)

7. Meerut: 433 (Hazardous)

8. Bathinda: 432 (Hazardous)

9 Ghaziabad: 411 (Hazardous)

10. Moradabad: 406 (Hazardous)

What Does AQI Mean?

The Air Quality Index is a measure used to communicate air pollution levels and their potential impact on health. India's Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) divides readings into six categories. An AQI between 0 and 50 is classified as good, while readings between 51 and 100 are considered satisfactory. The moderate category covers readings between 101 and 200, followed by poor (201 to 300), very poor (301 to 400) and severe (401 to 500).

Labels differ between trackers. The live tracker used here follows the US AQI scale and calls these readings “Unhealthy” or “Poor”. Under the CPCB scale, all six cities would fall in the moderate range of 101 to 200, with Delhi near its upper limit.