CREA analysis shows Kohima recorded ‘Good’ air quality in winter 2025–26 with average PM2.5 at 28 µg/m³.
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DIMAPUR — Kohima recorded ‘good’ air quality during the winter of 2025–26, with an average PM2.5 concentration of about 28 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), according to an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). The report, titled Winter ambient air quality snapshot for India – Winter 2025–26, analysed data from Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) of the Central Pollution Control Board between October 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026. Only cities with at least 80 per cent data availability during the period were considered for the analysis.
According to the analysis, Kohima fell in the ‘Good’ air quality category, defined as PM2.5 concentrations between 0 and 30µg/m³.
Across India, only 19 of the 238 cities analysed recorded ‘Good’ air quality during the winter period, while most cities fell in the ‘Satisfactory’, ‘Moderate’, ‘Poor’ or ‘Very Poor’ categories.
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Overall, 204 of the 238 Indian cities with sufficient monitoring data recorded average winter PM2.5 concentrations above India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of 40µg/m³. None of the cities complied with the World Health Organisation guideline concentration of 5µg/m³.
At the national level, Ghaziabad ranked as the most polluted city during winter 2025–26, recording an average PM2.5 concentration of 172 µg/m³, followed by Noida at 166 µg/m³ and Delhi at 163µg/m³.
The report identified Chamarajanagar in Karnataka as the cleanest city in India during the same period, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 19 µg/m³.
The analysis noted that widespread non-compliance with air quality standards continues across the country, with more cities breaching the national PM2.5 standard in winter 2025–26 than during the previous winter.