Why Bikaner's Air Is Among the Most Dangerous to Breathe — and What Is Being Done About It

If you have ever stepped outside on a hazy morning in Bikaner and felt your eyes sting or your throat scratch, there is a measurable reason for that discomfort. Air quality monitors in the city have recorded readings as severe as an AQI — Air Quality Index — of 276, a level classified as "Severe" by Indian standards. At that level, even healthy people can suffer breathing difficulties, and vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and people with asthma face serious health risks.

The Air Quality Index, or AQI, is a number that tells you how clean or polluted the air is on any given day. The higher the number, the worse the air. India uses a scale where 0–50 is "Good", 51–100 is "Satisfactory", and anything above 201 is considered harmful. The most dangerous pollutant tracked by this index is called PM2.5 — tiny particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter, so small they can pass through your nose and throat and lodge deep inside your lungs, entering the bloodstream and damaging vital organs over time. One Bikaner monitoring station recorded PM2.5 at 222 µg/m³ — that is more than 44 times higher than the World Health Organization's recommended safe limit of 5 µg/m³.

Why is Bikaner so vulnerable? The city sits on the edge of the Thar Desert in western Rajasthan, one of the largest hot deserts in the world. The local soil has a high gypsum content — a soft mineral that breaks up easily into fine dust — making the city naturally prone to dust storms, locally known as andhi. These storms can send PM10 levels — a related measure of slightly larger dust particles — soaring, as seen in a reading of 295 µg/m³ at one station. On top of natural geography, Bikaner also hosts Plaster of Paris, or POP, industries concentrated in areas like the Khara Industrial Area on the city's outskirts. These factories grind and heat gypsum to make building materials, releasing significant amounts of particulate matter into the air. Motor vehicle emissions add another layer of pollution on already dust-laden streets.

The readings across the city can vary dramatically depending on location and time of day. While one station recorded a severe AQI of 276, another in the same period showed a relatively moderate 69. In Vyas Colony, a residential area within Bikaner, an AQI of 173 was recorded — classified as "Unhealthy". This reflects an important truth about air pollution: it is hyper-local. A few kilometres and a few hours can make an enormous difference in the quality of the air you are breathing.

Monitoring this pollution is the job of two key bodies. The CPCB, or Central Pollution Control Board, is India's apex national authority responsible for setting and tracking air quality standards across the country. Under it operates the RSPCB, or Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, which enforces pollution rules at the state level and has a regional office in Bikaner covering the Anupgarh and Bikaner districts. Real-time global data is also published by IQAir, a Swiss technology company that runs a network of over 40,000 monitoring stations in 138 countries and releases an annual World Air Quality Report.

The data from IQAir's 2024 report paints a grim picture for India overall. India ranked as the 5th most polluted country in the world in 2024, with an average PM2.5 concentration of 50.6 µg/m³ — more than ten times the WHO guideline. Thirteen of the world's twenty most polluted cities were in India. Delhi remained the world's most polluted capital for the sixth year in a row. However, there was a small reason for cautious optimism: India's PM2.5 levels dropped by 7% compared to 2023, when the country had ranked 3rd most polluted globally.

To address chronic air pollution, the Indian government launched the NCAP, or National Clean Air Programme. This is a national framework that targets a 20 to 30 percent reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 levels in cities that repeatedly fail to meet national air quality standards — these are called "non-attainment cities". Bikaner is among the Rajasthan cities covered under this programme, meaning it is eligible for dedicated funds and action plans to clean up its air.

The worst months for air quality in Bikaner — and across much of India — are October to February. In winter, a weather phenomenon called temperature inversion traps pollutants close to the ground because warm air sits above cold air and prevents pollutants from rising and dispersing. Lower wind speeds and crop-residue burning in neighbouring states make things worse. In the short term, residents are advised to limit outdoor activity during high-pollution days, wear N95 masks when going out, and use indoor air purifiers. In the long term, meaningful improvement will depend on strict enforcement of industrial emission norms by the RSPCB, better management of road dust, and real progress under the NCAP framework.