Byrnihat Among India’s Most Polluted Places: AQI Tops 200 on 90 Days in 2025 Despite Improvement

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: It is a matter of concern that Byrnihat, on the Assam-Meghlaya border, has found a place among the top ten most polluted places in India, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing to more than 200. In 2025, the number of ‘bad days,’ when the AQI climbed to more than 200, was recorded for a total of 90 days.

New Delhi has the dubious distinction of having the maximum number of bad days at 165 in 2025.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been classified into Good Days having AQI < 200 (Good: 0-50, Satisfactory: 51-100, Moderate: 101-200) and Bad Days having AQI > 201 (Poor: 201-300; Very Poor: 301-400; Severe: 401-500).

As per a recent report from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, 10 cities in India having the highest number of bad days in 2025 are Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Sri Ganganagar (Rajasthan), Byrnihat (Assam), Gurugram (Haryana), Delhi (Delhi), Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Patna (Bihar), Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh), Faridabad (Haryana) and Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh).

According to the report, Byrnihat recorded 187 bad days in 2023, which decreased slightly to 171 days in 2024 and was further reduced to 90 days in 2025. Despite the decreasing trend, Byrnihat continues to occupy one of the top 10 spots with a more than desirable AQI.

Moreover, in 2025, a total of 11 days in the month of January recorded a maximum AQI value of 422, which is considered severe.

Under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), an amount of Rs. 13,865.53 crore has been provided to 130 cities as an air quality performance-based incentive for the implementation of air quality improvement measures, including Rs. 1010.45 crore to the above-mentioned 10 cities.

It needs to be mentioned here that Byrnihat, on the outskirts of Guwahati’s greater metropolitan area, is a small town that has many industries like cement causing immense air pollution. It is the responsibility of both the Assam and Meghalaya governments to come down hard on the polluting industries in Byrnihat so that the air pollution levels are checked before more damage is done to the environment.

Also Read: Guwahati-Byrnihat Industries Directed to up Dust Suppression Measures.