Bhopal vs Salem
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Bhopal 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 | Bhopal | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 31.50 | 13.70 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 53.20 | 16.40 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 3.80 | 15.30 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 8.10 | 9.30 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 96.00 | 37.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 273.00 | 240.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Bhopal averaged an AQI of 114 while Salem averaged 68 — a 46-point (68%) gap, with Bhopal the more polluted and Salem the cleaner of the two. On 207 days when both cities reported, Salem was cleaner on 190 of them; the average daily gap was 81 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Bhopal peaks in November, while Salem peaks in April. Bhopal logged 0% Severe days and 38.4% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Salem was 0% Severe and 87.1% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Bhopal 47 days, Salem 17 days.
Year-over-year progress
Bhopal has improved by 39 AQI points (25.5%) from 2019 to 2024; Salem has improved by 5 AQI points (6.8%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Bhopal reached AQI 392 at T T Nagar (MPPCB) on 2022-01-06; Salem hit AQI 214 at Sona College of Technology (TNPCB) on 2024-01-15.
Station-level disparity
Bhopal spans 3 CPCB stations with a 18-point spread (min 111, max 129); 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 Bhopal's 54.