Lunglei and Tura recorded the lowest annual PM2.5 levels among Indian locations in the WHO’s latest air-quality database, with four of the five lowest readings coming from Meghalaya and Mizoram.

India's air-pollution conversation often centres on cities battling high particulate-matter levels. 

But the country's air-quality map looks very different outside its biggest urban and industrial centres.

h Organization (WHO) Ambient Air Quality Database, Version 8.0, released in June 2026, contains ground-level measurements of annual average concentrations of PM2.5, PM10 and nitrogen dioxide from 8,023 human settlements across 127 countries and territories, covering measurements collected between 2010 and 2024.

An analysis of the Indian entries in the database shows five locations with the lowest reported annual average PM2.5 concentrations: Lunglei in Mizoram, Tura and Nongstoin in Meghalaya, Dawki in Meghalaya, and Kolasib in Mizoram.

Their recorded annual PM2.5 concentrations range from 6 to 8 micrograms per cubic metre.

There is, however, an important caveat: these are not cities that WHO has officially ranked as India's cleanest.

All five measurements are from 2021, meaning they should not be interpreted as current 2026 air-quality readings. WHO also cautions that its database is not comprehensive and that monitoring coverage and measurement methods vary between places.

At 6 micrograms per cubic metre, Lunglei shares the lowest PM2.5 reading in the Indian dataset.

Lunglei is located in the southern part of Mizoram and is the headquarters of Lunglei district. The district administration........

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