Bhopal vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Bhopal 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 | Bhopal | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 29.90 | 43.90 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 48.80 | 53.10 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 5.00 | 33.30 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 7.00 | 32.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 82.00 | 30.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 267.00 | 422.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Bhopal averaged an AQI of 114 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 58-point (104%) gap, with Bhopal the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 1481 days when both cities reported, Bhopal was cleaner on 752 of them; the average daily gap was 59 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Bhopal peaks in November, while Varanasi peaks in January. Bhopal logged 0% Severe days and 38.4% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Bhopal 47 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Bhopal has improved by 39 AQI points (25.5%) from 2019 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Bhopal reached AQI 392 at T T Nagar (MPPCB) on 2022-01-06; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Bhopal spans 3 CPCB stations with a 18-point spread (min 111, max 129); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Bhopal has better air quality with an AQI of 50 compared to Varanasi's 74.