Smog Tales

Air pollution is not just Delhi’s story — it’s unfolding silently across India’s smaller cities, where the haze thickens and the data speaks volumes. Through Smog Tales, iFOREST takes you on a journey through six cities — each revealing a different chapter of India’s pollution crisis, and a shared call for clean air.

In Patna, the air rivals Delhi’s — particulate matter peaks in winter, turning the city’s crisp mornings into smog-filled skies. Our fact sheet uncovers how Bihar’s capital mirrors the capital’s pollution patterns, urging urgent localised action.

Travel east to Guwahati, where the mighty Brahmaputra flows through a city that ranked as the world’s second most polluted in 2023. Here, PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅ levels regularly double the permissible limits, spiking 78% in winter — proof that the air crisis is not just industrial, but seasonal and deeply systemic.

In Meerut, rapid urbanisation has brought the haze closer home. The city’s growing emissions and stagnant air patterns make it a pollution hotspot, reminding us that smaller cities need just as much attention as the metros.

High up in the hills, Baddi tells a different tale — of industrial ambition outpacing environmental safeguards. With the highest AQI in Himachal Pradesh, and particulate levels far above national standards, its residents breathe toxic air cloaked in the guise of progress.

Bhiwadi, Rajasthan’s industrial powerhouse, bears similar scars. Factories, trucks, and dust clouds combine to make it the state’s most polluted city — a stark symbol of unchecked growth.

Even Chandigarh, India’s planned and proud green city, now grapples with rising particulate levels. Its story reminds us that no city, no matter how well-designed, is immune to the regional smog burden.

Smog Tales is a wake-up call — a data-driven journey urging India to know its cities, and to reclaim its right to clean air.