Jahangirpuri, Rohini and Shahdara among most polluted clusters of Delhi: Study

North Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, Rohini, and Shahdara are the city’s most polluted areas, a hyperlocal air quality analysis has found, and pointed out that the national capital saw a breach in PM2.5 levels on 23 days of October.

Respirer Living Sciences, a climate-tech startup, conducted the month-long study using data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Google AirView .

Official data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and CPCB supported these findings, identifying the Jahangirpuri-Bawana-Wazirpur corridor as the city’s most polluted cluster, with average PM2.5 levels ranging between 140-146 µg/m³, followed by Anand Vihar and Vivek Vihar (133-135 µg/m³).

The analysis revealed that the city’s pollution peaks are concentrated in its northwest and eastern corridors, with industrial and residential clusters co-existing within the same polluted air sheds.

“Delhi’s pollution story is no longer just about its city centre. Hyperlocal mapping shows how industrial clusters and residential pockets are sharing the same airspace. Tackling this requires coordinated planning between city and state agencies,” Ronak Sutaria, founder and CEO of Respirer Living Sciences, said.

“These transport-heavy and industrial zones in north and northeast Delhi remain chronic hotspots due to dense clusters of small industries, constant traffic, and poor air dispersion during calm weather,” he added.

In contrast, Dwarka, Sri Aurobindo Marg, and Lodhi Road recorded comparatively cleaner air, staying close to the “satisfactory” category of the air quality index (AQI).

The month-long study mapped Delhi’s air in 3×3 km grids to identify pollution hotspots invisible to traditional monitoring networks.

Jahangirpuri, with 144.1 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³), topped the list as the most polluted area in the city, followed by Rohini (142 µg/m³), Shahdara (134.8 µg/m³), Mangolpuri Industrial Area (123.8 µg/m³) and Madanpur Khadar (120.3 µg/m³).

Each of these locations recorded PM2.5 concentrations more than twice the national safe limit of 60 µg/m³, indicating intense, localised exposure to toxic air, the report said.

PM2.5 means very tiny particles in the air that are 2.5 micrometres wide or smaller – about 1/30 the width of a human hair. These are so fine that they can reach deep into the lungs and even get into the bloodstream.

These particles mostly come from things like car exhaust, factories, wildfires, and burning fuel at home.

Pollution levels peaked between October 20 and 21, when PM2.5 levels spiked above 675 µg/m³, coinciding with calm weather and festive emissions.

Since Diwali, the national capital’s air quality has consistently remained in the “poor” or “very poor” category, occasionally slipping into the “severe” zone.

On Monday morning, the AQI was recorded at 345, falling in the “very poor” category. At 9 am, Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 345, according to CPCB data. The AQI level neared the “severe” category on Sunday morning, recording a reading of 391 – the highest of the season so far.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’, the CPCB data shows.