New Delhi, Dec 31 (NationPress) In 2025, Delhi experienced a remarkable enhancement in its air quality, achieving the lowest average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 in the last seven years, excluding the year impacted by COVID-19 in 2020, as per official statistics. This year also marked the highest frequency of days classified as 'Good' to 'Satisfactory' on the Air Quality Index (AQI) since 2018, aside from 2020.

According to the data, 2025 recorded a total of 79 days with AQI values ranging from 0 to 100, placing them in the 'Good' and 'Satisfactory' categories. This figure is the second-highest since 2020, during which pandemic restrictions significantly lowered pollution levels. In comparison, the number of such days in 2024 was 66, 61 in 2023, and 53 in 2018.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), which was established in 2021 for the National Capital Region and surrounding areas, credited this improvement to ongoing policy actions and consistent enforcement. Since its establishment, CAQM has issued numerous directives, advisories, and orders aimed at curbing pollution sources, along with year-round coordination among various stakeholders.

Despite facing difficult meteorological conditions, 2025 only had eight days classified as 'Severe to Severe+', marking the second-lowest count since 2018. This is a significant decrease from 2019, which recorded 25 such days. Officials noted that stagnant wind conditions and adverse weather in December 2025 resulted in a high monthly average AQI of 351, but this did not negate the overall improvement achieved throughout the year.

Each month of February and July 2025 marked the lowest average AQI for these periods since 2018, even surpassing the figures from the COVID year. Additionally, January, May, and June 2025 showed the second-lowest average AQI levels in the past seven years, excluding 2020.

Annual statistics further emphasize this trend, with Delhi's average AQI in 2025 recorded at 201, the lowest since 2018, apart from 2020. For context, the average AQI was 209 in 2024, 204 in 2023, and 225 in 2018.

Levels of particulate matter also displayed improvements. The daily average PM10 concentration in 2025 was 197 µg/m³, down from 212 µg/m³ in 2024 and 241 µg/m³ in 2018. Similarly, the daily average PM2.5 levels dropped to 96 µg/m³ in 2025, compared to 104 µg/m³ in 2024 and 113 µg/m³ in 2018. Only the year 2020 noted lower averages.

Officials indicated that these advancements are a result of persistent enforcement, targeted measures, and long-term strategies for pollution control, despite seasonal and meteorological challenges that continue to affect winter air quality.

“With ongoing field-level efforts and quantified policy initiatives in the short, medium, and long term, Delhi’s air quality is expected to exhibit further gradual, yet significant improvements year on year,” officials stated.

While experts caution that winter pollution spikes remain a concern, the data from 2025 suggests that structural measures are beginning to yield tangible results for the air quality in the national capital.