Media spotlight on Delhi hides severe pollution in smaller Indian cities

Delhi grabs 80% of pollution coverage, while smaller cities like Hapur (AQI 361) and Meerut (AQI 377) face dangerous air but remain media blind spots, shows Wizikey report

Amid critically poor air quality levels, Delhi dominates pollution coverage with over 75,000 news articles, accounting for more than 80 per cent of total reporting among crisis cities. Meanwhile, smaller cities like Hapur (AQI 361) and Meerut (AQI 377), despite dangerous pollution levels, receive minimal media attention, according to the latest Wizikey Pollution News Analysis Report 2023-2024.

 

The report highlights significant disparities in media coverage of air pollution across India, based on an analysis of over 500,000 articles from 50,000 publications. It underscores how under-reporting in certain regions could delay critical public awareness and the implementation of timely measures.

 

Furthermore, the report reveals that over 87 per cent of cities and towns in India lack the required air quality monitoring systems, resulting in an unclear picture of air quality nationwide.

 

Four city categories

 

The report categorises cities into four groups:

 

• Crisis cities (high pollution and high news volume)
• Silent cities (high pollution and low news volume)
• Invisible cities (high pollution and no news volume)
• Liveable cities (low pollution and low news volume)

 

Crisis cities 

Delhi leads media coverage related to crisis cities, with over 75,000 articles—more than 80 per cent of total coverage. All three crisis cities—Delhi, Noida, and Ghaziabad—are located in the NCR region, reflecting a concentrated geographic focus.

 

Despite comparable AQI levels, Delhi garners 7.5 times more media coverage than Noida and 13 times more than Ghaziabad, the report noted.

 

Silent cities 

Cities such as Hapur (AQI 361) and Meerut (AQI 377) face dangerously high pollution levels but receive minimal media coverage, pointing to severe under-reporting. Faridabad, with an AQI of 352, receives only 43 per cent of the coverage given to Noida (AQI 338), exposing a significant gap.

 

Smaller cities like Bhiwani and Muzaffarnagar, which also experience critical AQI levels, remain largely ignored. Additionally, nine cities with AQI levels exceeding 300 get less than 5 per cent of the media attention Delhi commands, the report highlighted.

 

Invisible cities 

Charkhi Dadri, with an AQI of 314, received only 267 news mentions, illustrating significant media oversight. Similarly, Firozabad and Fatehpur Sikri, despite recording hazardous AQI levels, have seen negligible press coverage.

 

This pattern reflects a broader neglect of Tier-II and Tier-III cities, raising concerns about regional disparities in pollution reporting.

 

Liveable cities 

Cities like Bhopal and Indore are highlighted for maintaining good air quality metrics. The relatively low media coverage of these cities aligns with their better air quality, as they face fewer pollution-related challenges.

 

Aakriti Bhargava, co-founder of Wizikey, said, “Wizikey’s report uncovers both successes and blind spots in pollution-related reporting across India. While Delhi’s extensive media attention is commendable, equally impacted cities without similar coverage face serious public health risks.”