Global Air Quality Rankings Only For Guidance, India Sets Own Standards: Government

Global air quality rankings cited by various organisations are not conducted by any official authority, the government informed the Parliament on Thursday.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh stated that the widely quoted international indices, such as IQAir World Air Quality Report, WHO Global Air Quality Database, Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and Global Burden of Disease (GBD) metrics, are not conducted by any official authority.

These serve only as advisory values, not binding standards.

"The World Health Organisation's air quality guidelines serve only as guidance and are recommended values to help countries achieve good air quality. However, countries prepare their own air quality standards based on geography, environmental factors, background levels, socio-economic status, and national circumstances," Singh said.

The Environment Ministry further clarified that it has notified National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 12 pollutants in 2009 to protect public health and the environment, and these standards are tailored to India's specific conditions.

While the World Health Organisation sharply tightened its air quality guidelines in 2021 (24-hour PM2.5 limit: 15 micrograms per cubic meter; annual: 5 micrograms per cubic meter), India continues to follow its 2009 NAAQS (24-hour PM2.5: 60 micrograms per cubic meter; annual: 40 micrograms per cubic meter), which the government maintains are appropriate for national conditions.

Separately, the Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav highlighted significant improvement in Delhi's air quality in recent years due to focused policy interventions.

He shared that the number of "Good to Moderate" air quality days (AQI less than or equal to 200) in Delhi has risen from 110 in 2016 to 200 in 2025 (till date).

Yadav added that the average AQI (January-November) has improved from 213 in 2018 to 187 in 2025, and not a single day in 2025 has recorded "Severe Plus" (AQI over 450) air quality in the national capital.

Notably, farm fire incidents in Punjab and Haryana together have fallen by around 90 per cent in the 2025 paddy harvesting season compared to 2022.

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