Bhagalpur vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Bhagalpur 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 | Bhagalpur | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 61.20 | 48.20 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 65.90 | 57.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 25.30 | 38.80 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 25.40 | 27.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 53.00 | 22.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 736.00 | 523.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Bhagalpur averaged an AQI of 164 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 108-point (193%) gap, with Bhagalpur the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 745 days when both cities reported, Varanasi was cleaner on 672 of them; the average daily gap was 102 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Both cities see their worst air in January on average. Bhagalpur logged 1.9% Severe days and 19.9% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Bhagalpur 20 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Bhagalpur has improved by 123 AQI points (42.9%) from 2021 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Bhagalpur reached AQI 451 at Mayaganj (BSPCB) on 2022-12-30; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Bhagalpur spans 2 CPCB stations with a 26-point spread (min 170, max 196); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Varanasi has better air quality with an AQI of 81 compared to Bhagalpur's 105.