Ghaziabad was the most polluted city among 60 north Indian cities last winter, followed by Delhi, according to a latest air quality analysis.
According to the "All India Winter Air Quality Analysis" carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), particulate pollution spiked and stayed elevated with varying intensity across all regions during the winter of 2021-22.
The analysis contains a detailed assessment of all the regions -- north, south, east, west, central and northeast.
It said the most polluted city in the northern region was Ghaziabad with a PM2.5 average of 178 microgram per cubic metre, followed by Delhi that had a winter average of 170.
The next seven spots are all occupied by neighbouring NCR cities -- Faridabad, Manesar, Baghpat, Noida, Gurugram, Meerut and Hapur, it said.
In the northern region, Srinagar was found to be the cleanest city with Palwal in Haryana, Bathinda in Punjab and Alwar in Rajasthan among the cities with a relatively lower winter average.
In the eastern region, the most polluted city was Siwan in Bihar while in the west, it was Ankleshwar in Gujarat. In the central region, Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh was the most polluted city while in south, Kalaburgi in Karnataka and Hyderabad in Telangana were found to be the most polluted cities.
The most polluted city in the northeastern region was Guwahati in Assam.
Also Watch| From childhood to old-age: The long-term effects of pollution on brainpower