Amritsar vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Amritsar and Varanasi.
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 | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 54.10 | 43.80 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 70.50 | 52.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 20.20 | 28.20 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 7.10 | 36.90 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 66.00 | 45.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 610.00 | 440.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Amritsar averaged an AQI of 124 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 68-point (121%) gap, with Amritsar the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 2051 days when both cities reported, Amritsar was cleaner on 1262 of them; the average daily gap was 82 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Amritsar peaks in November, while Varanasi peaks in January. Amritsar logged 0.2% Severe days and 47.2% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Amritsar 40 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Amritsar has improved by 40 AQI points (24.4%) from 2017 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Amritsar reached AQI 459 at Golden Temple (PPCB) on 2018-06-14; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Amritsar spans 1 CPCB stations with a 0-point spread (min 119, max 119); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Varanasi has better air quality with an AQI of 74 compared to Amritsar's 90.