Aurangabad, Bihar posts highest PM2.5 at 168 ug/m3 in July
Aurangabad, Bihar, just took the unwanted crown for India's most polluted city this July, with PM2.5 levels averaging 168 micrograms per cubic meter, almost triple the national safe limit on most days.
Out of 28 days tracked, Aurangabad's air was above the official safety mark for 21 days and hit "severe" pollution eight times.
Only 41 cities meet WHO guideline
Manguraha (also in Bihar) came second with a PM2.5 level of 96 micrograms per cubic meter, while Haryana had five cities, including Gurugram and Panipat, in the top 10.
Out of 256 cities checked, only 41 met the much stricter WHO air quality standard.
On the bright side, Dombivli in Maharashtra had super clean air at just 4 micrograms per cubic meter.
Even big metros like Delhi and Mumbai stayed within national limits, but there's a clear gap between regions when it comes to clean air.