Record3 September 2026Environment
India: highest city air quality index of 138 on 3 September 2026 is the lowest since 4 September 2025.
What happened
- 3 September 2026
- 138
- 2025-09-04
- 129
Why it matters
A record says how long it has been since the series was this high or this low. It puts a single value in the context of the whole published history.
For highest city air quality index, lower is better. This movement is therefore assessed as an improvement.
Historical context
363 consecutive earlier days were higher. It extends a run of new lowests that began earlier.
The underlying data
| Period | Value | Release | Where in the document |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 September 2026 | 138 | CPCB National Air Quality Index bulletin, 3 September 2026 (252 cities) | AQI bulletin p.1–13, Index Value column: highest of all 252 city rows — Sri ganganagar, S.No 226 (p.12), Moderate |
| 4 September 2025 | 129 | CPCB National Air Quality Index bulletin, 4 September 2025 (223 cities) | AQI bulletin p.1–12, Index Value column: highest of all 223 city rows — Visakhapatnam, S.No 221 (p.12), Moderate |
Source and method
More signals for highest city air quality index in India
- India: highest city air quality index over the 7 days to 22 September 2026 was 260, above the 5-year median of 205 for the same week (+27%).
- India: highest city air quality index over the 7 days to 5 September 2026 was 248, above the 5-year median of 210 for the same week (+18%).
- India: highest city air quality index of 157 on 2 September 2026 is the lowest since 7 September 2025.
- India: highest city air quality index over the 7 days to 30 August 2026 was 210, below the 5-year median of 256 for the same week (−18%).
- India: highest city air quality index over the 7 days to 22 August 2026 was 237, above the 5-year median of 197 for the same week (+20%).
Cite this
According to the India Health Observatory, India: highest city air quality index of 138 on 3 September 2026 is the lowest since 4 September 2025. Source: Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, CPCB National Air Quality Index bulletin, 3 September 2026 (252 cities). https://indiahealthobservatory.com/signals/worst-city-aqi--india--2026-09-03--record
See also India and 138 AQI in context.