Delhi Smog Atlas

Sources

Data and research sources

Every dataset, study, official document and news report cited anywhere on this site, in one place.

Every number in the text of this site links to an entry below. "UGAC analysis" means our own analysis of the open data listed here, described on the Method page. How we checked each source is explained under How we check facts.

This study (1)

  1. Delhi Smog Atlas: GIS analysis of 1–10 November 2026 (this study). UGAC, Nov 2026.

Open data used in the analysis (14)

  1. Brick kiln dataset for Pakistan's Indo-Gangetic Plain (CC BY 4.0). Zenodo, record 14038648.
  2. Copernicus Sentinel-5P TROPOMI. ESA / European Commission.
  3. FIRMS: Fire Information for Resource Management System (VIIRS active fires). NASA.
  4. geoBoundaries: open administrative boundaries. William & Mary geoLab.
  5. National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019–21. International Institute for Population Sciences.
  6. Natural Earth (rivers and coastlines). Natural Earth.
  7. NFHS-5 district data (CSV). GitHub: SaiSiddhardhaKalla/NFHS.
  8. Open-Meteo Air Quality API (CAMS) and weather APIs. Open-Meteo.
  9. OpenAQ: open air quality data (CPCB, DPCC, HSPCB, UPPCB, IMD, IITM monitors). OpenAQ.
  10. OpenStreetMap. OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
  11. Sentinel-5P Level 2 data on AWS Open Data (MEEO). Registry of Open Data on AWS.
  12. SentinelKilnDB (CC BY-NC 4.0). Sustainability Lab, IIT Gandhinagar.
  13. Terrain Tiles (elevation for hill shading). Registry of Open Data on AWS.
  14. WorldPop population data, 2020. WorldPop, University of Southampton.

Research, official documents and institutional reports (26)

  1. Ambient (outdoor) air pollution: fact sheet. World Health Organization, 24 Oct 2024.
  2. Assessing the ammonia mitigation potential from the Indian agriculture sector for improving air quality in India. IIASA, 2025.
  3. Assessment of the impact of improvement measures on air quality: case study of Delhi. Journal of Transportation Engineering (ASCE), via TRID, 2006.
  4. Beyond the burn: Delhi's winter smog intensifies even after stubble fires fade. Centre for Science and Environment, Dec 2025.
  5. CSE welcomes Supreme Court ban on dirty pet coke and furnace oil in industrial sectors of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Centre for Science and Environment, 24 Oct 2017.
  6. Delhi residents losing 8.2 years of their lives to high air pollution: AQLI report. Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC India), 28 Aug 2025.
  7. Dust Control Self-Assessment Portal: FAQs. Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), accessed Nov 2026.
  8. Evaluation of odd–even day traffic restriction experiments in Delhi, India. Transportation Research Record 2627, 2017.
  9. Health Advisory on Air Pollution under NPCCHH (with letter to States and UTs). Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, NCDC, Oct 2025.
  10. Indoor air purifier study with elderly women in an old-age home, northern India. PubMed Central, 2025.
  11. Is Delhi's odd-even scheme to battle air pollution even effective? Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC).
  12. Model study of Beijing's PM2.5 fall between 2013 and 2017 (Atmos. Chem. Phys. 19, 13519). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Copernicus), 6 Nov 2019.
  13. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (Gazette of India notification, 18 November 2009). Central Pollution Control Board, 18 Nov 2009.
  14. Optimizing fuel-based environmental strategies for stack emissions from zigzag and fixed chimney Bull's trench kilns: a comparative analysis. PubMed Central, 2026.
  15. Real-time source apportionment and forecasting for advance air pollution management in Delhi: winter season report (revised), IIT Kanpur-led consortium. Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Sep 2023.
  16. Reducing agricultural nitrogen and secondary PM2.5. ICIMOD.
  17. Revised Graded Response Action Plan for NCR (press release). Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), 18 Sep 2024.
  18. Secondary particulate matter is a core driver of dangerous PM2.5 in India. CREA.
  19. Source apportionment of PM2.5 and PM10 of Delhi NCR for identification of major sources. TERI and ARAI (for the Department of Heavy Industry), Aug 2018.
  20. Striving for Clean Air: Air Pollution and Public Health in South Asia. World Bank, 2022 (launched Mar 2023).
  21. Strong policies needed to clean Delhi NCR air by 2025: ARAI and TERI report (press release). TERI, 16 Aug 2018.
  22. Tracing the Hazy Air 2026: Progress report on the National Clean Air Programme. Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Jan 2026.
  23. Ventilation coefficient trends in the recent decades over four major Indian metropolitan cities (Iyer and Ernest Raj). Journal of Earth System Science 122, 537–549, 2013.
  24. What Is Polluting Delhi’s Air? A Review from 1990 to 2022 (Sustainability 15(5), 4209). Guttikunda et al., UrbanEmissions.info, 2023.
  25. WHO global air quality guidelines: particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. World Health Organization, 2021.
  26. Why paddy stubble burning continues in Punjab: challenges and solutions. Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

News and analysis articles (47)

  1. 0.1 mm of rain in Noida, AQI down by 20 points: how Delhi's cloud seeding trial went. ThePrint, 29 Oct 2025.
  2. 82 cities used less than 66% of NCAP funds in the last 5 years to combat pollution. Newslaundry, 9 Jan 2025.
  3. AQI at 462: Delhi records poorest post-Diwali air quality in 5 years (CPCB data). The Quint, 5 Nov 2021.
  4. Bhalswa landfill clearance deadline extended for sixth time, now set for February 2027. ThePrint, 2026.
  5. Brick kilns embrace zigzag design to cut pollution and boost efficiency. Mongabay India, Aug 2024.
  6. CAQM in NCR and adjoining areas invoked Stage 3 of GRAP with immediate effect. News On AIR, 6 Nov 2026.
  7. CAQM issues notices to six TPPs over biomass co-firing lapses. Construction World, 2026.
  8. CAQM report says 'secondary particulate' top cause of Delhi winter pollution (summary of The Hindu report). Vision IAS, 23 Jan 2026.
  9. Children in Delhi have impaired lung function due to air pollution: study (Lung India). The Swaddle, 2 Sep 2021.
  10. CSE analysis: Industries in Delhi-NCR shifting to cleaner fuels, but major roadblocks to be addressed. Down To Earth / CSE, 2023.
  11. Delhi cannot hide behind its smokescreen anymore: CSE pre-winter analysis shows over half of city's local air pollution caused by vehicles. Down To Earth / CSE, 30 Oct 2024.
  12. Delhi records most polluted Diwali in five years, AQI at 371. Deccan Chronicle, 9 Nov 2026.
  13. Delhi tops India's PM10 pollution chart in 2025, exceeds national standards by nearly 3x. Free Press Journal, 10 Jan 2026.
  14. Delhi's location makes it vulnerable: study says 65% of city's air pollution in 2025 came from outside (CREA analysis). Business Today, 4 Jan 2026.
  15. Delhi-NCR coal ban: industrial units complain of soaring gas prices, difficulty to meet emissions standards. Down To Earth, 3 Jan 2023.
  16. Delhi-NCR pollution: GRAP Stage III curbs imposed as AQI crosses 425; construction and BS-IV vehicles banned. Free Press Journal, 11 Nov 2025.
  17. Easing the norms: FGD to remain relevant despite the relaxation of SO2 mandates. Power Line, 23 Sep 2025.
  18. EV freight transition gains urgency as 16,900 trucks entering Delhi daily generate 23% of transport emissions (APAG, IIT Delhi, TERI report). Down To Earth, 29 Jun 2026.
  19. EV registrations jump 29 pc in Delhi, petrol vehicles still dominate: analysis. ThePrint (PTI), 10 Apr 2026.
  20. EV registrations rise in Delhi, e-rickshaws claim 42% share. The Patriot, 2026.
  21. Farm fires dip sharply, yet Delhi-NCR chokes: Govt tells Parliament. The Wire, Dec 2025.
  22. Farm fires in Punjab, Haryana lowest in 5 years: CAQM. ThePrint (PTI), 1 Dec 2025.
  23. Ghaziabad recorded highest PM10 pollution in 2025-26 (CREA analysis of NCAP cities). Down To Earth, 7 Apr 2026.
  24. Ghazipur, Delhi: just why has this landfill been simmering for so long. Down To Earth, 1 Apr 2022.
  25. GRAP curbs tightened in Delhi with AQI stuck at 'very poor'. Business Today, 22 Nov 2025.
  26. India's killer smog is costing it US$95b a year and counting (AFP). Malay Mail, 24 Nov 2024.
  27. J&K PMUY users' LPG consumption rises, but 2.56 lakh beneficiaries took no refill in 2025-26 (Rajya Sabha data). Kashmir Life, 2026.
  28. Lowest PM2.5, PM10 levels in Delhi since 2015 barring 2020, says Economic Survey. ThePrint (PTI), 23 Mar 2026.
  29. Microbial decomposers don't avert straw burning; they only give leaders publicity. The Federal.
  30. Ministry of Power notifies comprehensive policy for co-firing of biomass pellets in coal-based power plants. Power Line, 13 Nov 2025.
  31. Most sulphur dioxide around Delhi comes from coal plants exempted from pollution rules: CREA. Down To Earth, 13 Jul 2026.
  32. NCR cities failed PM2.5 standards this year. The Tribune, 1 Jan 2026.
  33. NCR industrial emission data fragmented, undermining pollution control efforts: CSE. ThePrint (PTI), 5 Jun 2026.
  34. New Delhi to add 150 electric buses, take zero-emission fleet to 5,238. Asia News Network, 14 Oct 2026.
  35. Odd-even 1.0 cut pollution: DTU study. Hindustan Times, 27 Sep 2019.
  36. PMUY beneficiaries reach 10.35 crore in 2025; LPG consumption, safety and clean energy drive surge. Free Press Journal, Dec 2025.
  37. Punjab, Haryana record 90 per cent fewer farm fire incidents in 2025: Govt in Lok Sabha. The Tribune, 2 Dec 2025.
  38. Second cloud seeding trials fail in Delhi: here's why it didn't work. Business Standard, 29 Oct 2025.
  39. Short-term exposure to PM2.5 pollution causing 33,000 deaths annually in 10 Indian cities: study (Lancet Planetary Health). Scroll, 4 Jul 2024.
  40. Smog towers ineffective, at least 40,000 needed in Delhi to combat toxic air: DPCC tells NGT. Down To Earth, 16 Nov 2023.
  41. Stubble burning contributed only 3.5% to Delhi's PM2.5 levels in 2025: RTI. The Tribune, 30 Dec 2025.
  42. Supreme Court relaxes absolute firecracker ban in NCR for Diwali; allows sale and use of green crackers. LiveLaw, 15 Oct 2025.
  43. The Environment Ministry exempts certain thermal power plants from installation of flue gas de-sulfurization system (CMS IndusLaw). Legal 500, 25 Jul 2025.
  44. The morning after Diwali: Delhi-NCR's air worsened in eight of the past nine years, and 2026 tells a familiar story. Down To Earth, 9 Nov 2026.
  45. Two-thirds of NCAP funds used for dust management, less than 1 pc for industrial pollution: report. ThePrint (PTI), 2024.
  46. Waste remediation at Delhi's landfills at 4-year high; yet garbage mounds far from being flattened. ThePrint (PTI), 20 May 2026.
  47. Winter action plan unveiled to tackle pollution. The Daily Pioneer, Oct 2025.