States » NorthPosted at: Nov 12 2026 6:44PM


Haryana's Panchgaon tops India's pollution chart at AQI 388; Delhi, Punjab, UP & Rajasthan battle toxic air

Panchkula, Nov 12 (UNI) Haryana's Panchgaon recorded the country's highest Air Quality Index (AQI) of 388 on Thursday, while Delhi registered 350 as air pollution remained in the "very poor" category across large parts of Haryana, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The CPCB's national air quality bulletin, released at 4 pm and based on the preceding 24 hours, listed 286 reporting entries, of which 18 were in the "very poor" category. Haryana accounted for nine of these, the highest number among the states.
Delhi recorded the second-highest AQI of 350, followed by Haryana's Bahadurgarh at 346, Rajasthan's Bhiwadi at 339 and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and Manesar in Haryana at 338 each.
Apart from Panchgaon and Bahadurgarh, several Haryana cities reported alarming pollution levels. Ballabgarh recorded an AQI of 334, Charkhi Dadri 330, Hisar 325, Gurugram 320, Kaithal 317 and Sirsa 304, all falling in the "very poor" category.
Other Haryana locations also reported substantial pollution, with Fatehabad recording 298, Bhiwani 290, Narnaul 281, Faridabad and Panipat 278 each, Dharuhera 275, Sonipat 254 and Jind 249.
Ambala recorded an AQI of 216, Karnal 219, Kurukshetra 237 and Rohtak 210, placing them in the "poor" category.
However, pollution levels varied considerably across the state. Panchkula recorded an AQI of 79, categorised as "satisfactory", while Palwal registered 187, falling in the "moderate" category.
Delhi's AQI stood at 350, with readings available from 57 of its 59 monitoring stations. PM2.5 and PM10 were identified as prominent pollutants.
Neighbouring Uttar Pradesh also reported widespread deterioration in air quality.
Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 338, followed by Meerut at 328, Noida and Shamli at 311 each, and Khurja at 304, all in the "very poor" category.
Greater Noida registered 288, Baghpat 287, Modinagar 285, Khora 282 and Gajraula 295, indicating "poor" air quality.
Hapur recorded 269, Muzaffarnagar 256 and Bulandshahr 243, while Lucknow's AQI stood at 202.
In Punjab, Bathinda recorded an AQI of 328, placing it in the "very poor" category.
Ludhiana reported 275, Khanna 235, Patiala 224 and Jalandhar 207, all categorised as "poor".
Mandi Gobindgarh recorded a comparatively lower AQI of 109, while Rupnagar registered 42, indicating "good" air quality.
Chandigarh recorded an AQI of 88, remaining in the "satisfactory" category.
Amritsar did not feature in Thursday's bulletin because sufficient monitoring data were unavailable.
In Rajasthan, Bhiwadi emerged as the most polluted reporting location with an AQI of 339, followed by Jhunjhunu at 260, Khairthal 259, Alwar 239 and Churu 233.
Sawai Madhopur recorded 229, Kota 220, Jaipur 214, Bikaner and Hanumangarh 206 each, and Tonk 204. All these locations fell in the "poor" category.
Other parts of Rajasthan reported relatively lower pollution levels, with Sri Ganganagar recording 198, Sikar 198, Udaipur 183 and Jodhpur 166.
Fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, was among the prominent pollutants reported across the worst-affected cities, including Panchgaon, Bahadurgarh, Bathinda, Ghaziabad and Bhiwadi.
According to the CPCB's health classification, an AQI between 301 and 400 falls in the "very poor" category and can cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure. An AQI between 201 and 300 is classified as "poor" and may cause breathing discomfort to most people during prolonged exposure.
No reporting location crossed the severe-category threshold of 400 in Thursday's bulletin.
The CPCB noted that city-level AQI figures are based on available monitoring data and that air quality can vary across individual stations.
While Panchgaon's AQI was based on one monitoring station, Delhi's figure was derived from 57 stations, reflecting differences in monitoring coverage.
The bulletin highlighted the extent of particulate pollution across northern India, with Haryana recording the largest concentration of locations in the "very poor" category and neighbouring Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan also reporting hazardous pollution levels.
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Tags: #Haryana's Panchgaon tops India's pollution chart at AQI 388; Delhi# Punjab# UP & Rajasthan battle toxic air
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