What CAQM claimed on 30 September 2026, and what CPCB's own data show
On 30 September 2026 the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) told Delhi that its air was on an improving trend, and claimed four records for January to September. The release speaks of Delhi-NCR, but every figure in it is for Delhi alone, and beside each claim stands what the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) own data and CAQM's own earlier tables show.
| What CAQM said | What CPCB's own data show |
|---|---|
| "The improving trend in the overall air quality of Delhi-NCR continues." | On CPCB's daily bulletin, Delhi's average AQI for January to September was 167.6 in 2026, higher than 164.3 in 2025. February, March, July and August were each worse than a year before, and July, at 117.8 against 78.4, was Delhi's worst July since 2019. |
| Delhi "registers its lowest monthly average AQI ... for September", at 102, over 2022 to 2026. | CAQM's own table of 31 December 2025 printed 78 for September 2021 and 98 for September 2019, both lower than 102. The 2025 releases began their comparison at 2018, while the 2026 release begins it at 2022. |
| "The highest number of days with daily average AQI less than 200" in five years: 194. | The record rests on one day, because 2023 had 193 such days, and on the release's own words, "less than 200", the two years tie at 192. Days of Good or Satisfactory air, with an AQI up to 100, numbered 60 in 2026 against 75 in 2025, fewer than one day in four. |
| "The lowest 'Poor to Severe+' days during last 05 years": 79. | This record also rests on one day, because 2023 had 80 such days. Delhi breathed Poor or worse air, with an AQI above 200, on 79 of the 273 days, which is more than one day in four. |
| "The lowest levels of PM2.5 concentration in Delhi ... since 2022": 69 µg/m³. | CAQM's own release prints 69 µg/m³ for 2025 as well, so the two years tie. On the 38 stations that reported in both years, PM2.5 from 1 January to 28 September averaged 70.7 µg/m³ in 2026 against 69.2 µg/m³ in 2025. |
| "CAQM is working closely with various stakeholders concerned to take effective measures" to improve Delhi's air. | Once the effect of the weather is taken out, PM2.5 for January to September 2026 shows no measurable change from 2025, so there is no gain for CAQM's work to take credit for. |
| No statistics release on Delhi's air for any period from January to August 2026. | In 2025 CAQM published its cumulative air-quality statistics eight times, from 31 March to 30 November, and then two annual reviews, while in 2026 it published them once, on 30 September. Its 2025 release printed the January to September average AQI, 164, and the 2026 release left that figure out, which on CPCB's bulletin stands at 167.6 against 164.3 in 2025. |
The full report checks every claim against CPCB's own data, and Shri Ajay Maken's letter of 1 October asks CAQM's non-official Members to have the January to August 2026 statistics published.