The district logged the highest pollution levels in the country in March, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 116 µg/m³, according to an analysis of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) compiled by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
The figure is nearly twice the daily National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) limit of 60 µg/m³ and over seven times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 15 µg/m³, the analysis showed.
CREA’s findings also highlighted the severity of pollution across the month, with Gurugram recording 12 “very poor”, 13 “poor” and five “moderate” days, and only one “good” day in March.
Other cities in southern Haryana also featured prominently among the most polluted in the country. Bahadurgarh recorded an average PM2.5 of 113 µg/m³, followed by Faridabad at 97 µg/m³ and Manesar at 83 µg/m³, ranking second, third and seventh, respectively, among the top ten most polluted cities identified in the CREA analysis.
In an earlier study released on March 6, CREA had flagged consistently high pollution levels across southern Haryana districts, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Panipat and Bahadurgarh, between October and February. The study found Gurugram recording an average PM2.5 of 138 µg/m³ during the period, with levels exceeding NAAQS standards on 144 out of 151 days analysed.
“The persistently high levels of PM2.5 concentrations for over six months now in Gurugram call for its urgent inclusion in the upcoming NCAP revision, as the city consistently ranks among India’s top 10 most polluted, and air pollution is the leading health risk in Haryana. Other than policy interventions, strong enforcement is required to bring down emissions, spiking the air quality index (AQI) in the city,” said Dr Manoj Kumar, an analyst at CREA.
The broader analysis also found Haryana to have the worst air quality among states, with nine of the 24 cities assessed exceeding PM2.5 levels above NAAQS standards. Other districts with elevated PM2.5 levels in March included Dharuhera (77 µg/m³), Charkhi Dadri (73 µg/m³), Yamunanagar (72 µg/m³), Sonipat (69 µg/m³), Ballabhgarh (69 µg/m³) and Panchgaon (60 µg/m³).