An analysis of Air Quality Index (AQI) across major Indian cities from 2015 to November 2025 revealed that Bengaluru has the cleanest air among the metros.
However, the findings said that though Bengaluru has the best air quality, it is still not “safe”. According to Climate Trends AQI data across major Indian cities from 2015 to November 2025, none of India’s major urban centers can be considered “safe” in terms of air quality.
Climate Trends is a research-based advisory and capacity-building initiative.
“The AQI remains mostly between 65 and 90, although relatively cleaner, these values still exceed the ‘Good’ category, but rapid urbanization and vehicular growth prevent the city from reaching the safe range,” the key finding for Bengaluru said.
The most polluted Delhi
He added that Delhi remains the most polluted city throughout the study, maintaining consistently high AQI values from peaks above 250 (2016) to levels still close to 180 in 2025.
“Although there are slight year-to-year fluctuations, the city never approaches safe thresholds and continues to experience chronic poor air quality caused by car emissions, industrial activity, seasonal crop burning and geographic factors,” he added.
He further said that while several cities are showing gradual improvement over time, the overall pollution load remains high, with northern cities such as Delhi, Lucknow and Varanasi experiencing the most severe and persistent levels.
“Southern and western cities such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune fare relatively better but still fall short of the truly healthy air quality range. These findings highlight the continued impact of emissions from transport, industrial activity, seasonal factors and rapid urbanization across the country,” it said.
Palak Balyan, head of research, Climate Trends, said: “Moving to another city for cleaner air is not a real solution, and most people cannot afford it anyway. India needs sustained, long-term, science-based policy reform backed by real political will to take tough decisions.”
He added that air pollution affects everyone, but not equally: people who spend more time outdoors, such as street vendors, hygienists, transport workers and construction workers, are the most affected.
Published – 28 Nov 2025 23:27 IST
