108 days agoSocial
33LENS
5 SourcesDelhi, India
thebalanced.newsGhaziabad Tops India’s Pollution List in January, Delhi Second: CREA Report
In January, Ghaziabad was the most polluted city in India with a monthly average PM2.5 concentration of 184 micrograms per cubic metre, followed by Delhi at 169, both exceeding the national standard of 60. Delhi experienced 24 Very Poor and 3 Severe air quality days. Across India, 123 of 248 cities surpassed the national PM2.5 limit, with none meeting the WHO guideline of 15. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air highlighted the need to revise the National Clean Air Programme focusing on PM2.5 and related emissions. Cities like Noida, Gurugram, and Greater Noida also ranked among the most polluted.
Political Bias
8%88%4%
Sentiment
30%
AI Analysis
Political bias across 5 sources
● Left 8%● Center 88%● Right 4%
The articles primarily present data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and official air quality standards without political commentary. They include government response absence but do not critique policies directly. The coverage reflects a neutral stance focusing on environmental data and expert recommendations, representing scientific and regulatory perspectives without partisan framing.
Sentiment — Negative (30/100)
The tone across the articles is factual and cautionary, emphasizing high pollution levels and health risks without sensationalism. The reporting highlights concerns about air quality standards being exceeded and the need for policy revision, maintaining a serious but neutral sentiment focused on public health and environmental monitoring.
How 5 sources covered this story
Each source's own headline, political lean, and sentiment — so you can see framing differences at a glance.
| Source | Their headline | Bias | Sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|
| timesnow | Toxic Air Top 10 Cities of January: Ghaziabad Tops Pollution List, Delhi's AQI 3 Times Above Limit | Center | Negative |
| ndtv | Delhi Was 2nd Most Polluted City In January After Ghaziabad: Report | Center | Negative |
| theprint | Delhi second most polluted city in India this January, Ghaziabad at top: CREA | Center | Negative |
| news18 | Delhi second most polluted city in India this January, Ghaziabad at top: CREA | Center | Negative |
| hindustantimes | Delhi second most polluted city in India this January, Ghaziabad at top: CREA | Center | Negative |
Coverage timeline
hindustantimes broke this story on 6 Feb, 03:05 pm. Other outlets followed.
- 1hindustantimes6 Feb, 03:05 pmDelhi second most polluted city in India this January, Ghaziabad at top: CREA
- 2news186 Feb, 03:06 pmDelhi second most polluted city in India this January, Ghaziabad at top: CREA
- 3theprint6 Feb, 03:30 pmDelhi second most polluted city in India this January, Ghaziabad at top: CREA
- 4ndtv6 Feb, 07:39 pmDelhi Was 2nd Most Polluted City In January After Ghaziabad: Report
- 5timesnow7 Feb, 02:34 amToxic Air Top 10 Cities of January: Ghaziabad Tops Pollution List, Delhi's AQI 3 Times Above Limit
Lens Score breakdown
33/100
Public interest0/100
Coverage gap100%
Well-covered story — coverage matches public importance.
Accountability flags
TBN's analysis identified the following accountability dimensions in this story.
- public safety issue
This story involves a risk to public safety — infrastructure failure, regulatory lapse, hazardous conditions, or emergency mishandling.
Who's involved
Institutions and figures named across source coverage.
Government
Central Pollution Control BoardDelhi Environment MinistryNational Clean Air Programme
Story context
- Category
- Social
- Location
- Delhi, India
- Sources analysed
- 5
- Last analysed
- 7 Feb 2026
- Key entities
- MicrogramParticulatesPollutionDelhiIndiaAir pollutionGhaziabadCentral Pollution Control BoardWorld Health OrganizationEuropean emission standardsSulfur dioxideMicrometre
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