Even as stubble-burning smoke eased this winter, the air quality in Delhi-NCR worsened. According to the monthly air quality snapshot released by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) for November, despite stubble burning contributing less to Delhi PM2.5 this year, averaging 7% this November, down from 20% last year, 20 out of 29 cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) recorded higher pollution levels than last year. Additionally, 19 cities exceeded the PM2.5 standard every single day in November.

The CREA drew from real-time continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) PM2.5 data for the November 2025 Monthly Air Quality Snapshot. Notably, PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter, measuring less than 2.5 micrometres, which is small enough to enter the l

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