Delhi-NCR records 3-year best AQI: PM10 & PM2.5 lowest in Oct-Nov since 2023, says govt
New Delhi, Dec 4 (IANS) Air Quality Index in the Delhi NCR region has seen significant improvement this year during the October-November period, the government informed the Parliament on Thursday.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Kirti Vardhan Singh stated that the region has recorded the lowest average concentrations of particulate matter 10 and 2.5 since 2023.
The Minister explained that the AQI in October 2023 stood at 219, dipping to 234 in 2024. It improved to 223 in 2025. In November, the region recorded an AQI of 373 in 2023, which dipped to 374 in 2024. In 2025, it stood at 354.
The average concentration of PM 2.5 in October 2023 was 105 μg/m3, which climbed to 114 μg/m3 in 2024. However, it saw an improvement at 108 μg/m3 in 2025.
Similarly, the average concentration of PM 2.5 in November 2023 stood at 240 μg/m3, climbing to 246 μg/m3 in 2024. In 2025, the levels improved to 223 μg/m3.
From 231 μg/m3 PM 10 in October 2023, the levels dipped to 249 μg/m3 in 2024. In 2025, it improved to 219 μg/m3. In November 2023, PM 10 was recorded at 384 μg/m3, dipping to 393 μg/m3 in 2024. In 2025, the levels stood at 375 μg/m3, Singh said.
Crediting “coordinated efforts”, he noted that the “number of good days (AQI<200) in Delhi has increased to 200 days in 2025 from 110 days in 2016”.
“While there is an overall improvement in the AQI this year, very poor days (AQI: 301-400) and severe days (AQI more than 401) have reduced from 71 days in 2024 to 50 days in 2025. Delhi has observed the lowest average AQI in the past 8 years, that is, from 2018 to 2025 (barring 2020- Covid lockdown),” the Minister added.
To address air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the government has also established the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) under the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021, for better coordination, research, identification, and resolution of problems of air pollution in Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas.
The issue of air pollution in Delhi-NCR has been addressed by the Government in a collective, collaborative, and participative mode involving all the major stakeholders.
–IANS
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