Amritsar vs Salem
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Amritsar and Salem.
Live AQI from Open-Meteo CAMS (~45 km global model, updated hourly). Multi-year history from CPCB station data via aqinow.co pipeline (2016–2024, station-level daily records).
AQI Comparison
Pollutant-level comparison (PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, SO2, CO)▾
| Pollutant | Amritsar | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 54.10 | 13.70 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 70.50 | 16.40 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 20.20 | 15.30 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 7.10 | 9.30 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 66.00 | 37.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 610.00 | 240.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Amritsar averaged an AQI of 124 while Salem averaged 68 — a 56-point (82%) gap, with Amritsar the more polluted and Salem the cleaner of the two. On 376 days when both cities reported, Salem was cleaner on 326 of them; the average daily gap was 68 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Amritsar peaks in November, while Salem peaks in April. Amritsar logged 0.2% Severe days and 47.2% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Salem was 0% Severe and 87.1% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Amritsar 40 days, Salem 17 days.
Year-over-year progress
Amritsar has improved by 40 AQI points (24.4%) from 2017 to 2024; Salem has improved by 5 AQI points (6.8%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Amritsar reached AQI 459 at Golden Temple (PPCB) on 2018-06-14; Salem hit AQI 214 at Sona College of Technology (TNPCB) on 2024-01-15.
Station-level disparity
Amritsar spans 1 CPCB stations with a 0-point spread (min 119, max 119); Salem spans 1 stations with a 0-point spread (min 73, max 73).
Verdict
🏆 Salem has better air quality with an AQI of 23 compared to Amritsar's 90. That's a significant difference of 67 points.