10-year review finds no Indian city meets ‘Good’ air quality; Bengaluru performs best but still unsafe

A decade-long assessment of pollution across major Indian cities shows that not a single urban centre recorded “good” air quality, with Bengaluru faring better than others but still failing to meet safe AQI limits.

A sweeping 10-year assessment of air pollution across India’s major metros has confirmed that not a single city recorded “good” air quality at any time between 2015 and November 2025. The report, prepared by environmental research group Climate Trends, analysed pollution trends in 11 urban centres, revealing persistent nationwide exposure to unhealthy particulate matter.

While the findings underline a countrywide crisis, Bengaluru stands out prominently in the report for performing significantly better than all other major Indian cities. Over the decade, the city consistently posted the lowest AQI readings in the country, typically ranging between 65 and 90. Although these levels fall short of the “good” category, they place Bengaluru in a considerably stronger position than metros such as Delhi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Varanasi.

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The national capital remained the most polluted city throughout the 10-year period, at times recording AQI levels above 250. Despite marginal dips since 2019, Delhi’s air quality never came close to meeting safe limits. The report identifies vehicular emissions, industrial output, crop burning and geographic trapping as the main contributors.

Northern cities such as Lucknow and Varanasi, and western cities like Ahmedabad, saw periods of extremely poor air quality in the first half of the decade. Though some improvements were recorded in recent years, these cities still failed to meet health-safe AQI levels.

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In contrast, Bengaluru’s comparatively cleaner air is attributed to its geographic advantages, higher green cover, and wider use of public transport options such as BMTC and Namma Metro. However, experts quoted in the study warn that even the city’s “best in India” AQI values remain above the threshold for healthy air, signalling that the city is not exempt from long-term risks linked to PM2.5 and PM10 exposure.

The study reinforces that India’s broad air quality challenge is far from resolved, noting that even the country’s best-performing metro, Bengaluru, remains outside the safe AQI bracket.