India rejects global airquality ranking, says it sets own air standards

New Delhi: The government on Thursday told the Parliament that global air quality rankings cited by various organisations are not conducted by any official authority and that the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) air quality guidelines serve only as advisory values, not binding standards.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh stated “The World Health Organisation’s air quality guidelines serve only as guidance and are recommended values to help countries achieve good air quality.

However, countries prepare their own air quality standards based on geography, environmental factors, background levels, socio-economic status, and national circumstances,” Singh said.

The Environment Ministry further clarified that it has notified National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 12 pollutants in 2009 to protect public health and the environment, and these standards are tailored to India’s specific conditions.

The minister also clarified that while no global authority ranks countries officially, it conducts its own annual Swachh Vayu Survekshan to assess and rank 130 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) on the basis of air quality improvement measures. Better-performing cities are felicitated every year on National Swachh Vayu Diwas on September 7

While the World Health Organisation sharply tightened its air quality guidelines in 2021 (24-hour PM2.5 limit: 15 micrograms per cubic meter; annual: 5 micrograms per cubic meter), India continues to follow its 2009 NAAQS (24-hour PM2.5: 60 micrograms per cubic meter; annual: 40 micrograms per cubic meter), which the government maintains are appropriate for national conditions.

Separately, the Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav highlighted significant improvement in Delhi’s air quality in recent years due to focused policy interventions.

He shared that the number of “Good to Moderate” air quality days (AQI less than or equal to 200) in Delhi has risen from 110 in 2016 to 200 in 2025 (till date).

Yadav added that the average AQI (January-November) has improved from 213 in 2018 to 187 in 2025, and not a single day in 2025 has recorded “Severe Plus” (AQI over 450) air quality in the national capital.

Notably, farm fire incidents in Punjab and Haryana together have fallen by around 90 per cent in the 2025 paddy harvesting season compared to 2022.