Bhubaneswar vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Bhubaneswar 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 | Bhubaneswar | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 28.80 | 43.80 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 32.60 | 52.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 11.40 | 28.20 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 10.00 | 36.90 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 84.00 | 45.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 432.00 | 440.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Bhubaneswar averaged an AQI of 115 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 59-point (105%) gap, with Bhubaneswar the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 359 days when both cities reported, Varanasi was cleaner on 262 of them; the average daily gap was 73 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Both cities see their worst air in January on average. Bhubaneswar logged 0% Severe days and 48.8% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Bhubaneswar 27 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
The worst recorded day for Bhubaneswar reached AQI 341 at Lingraj Mandir (OSPCB) on 2024-01-09; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Bhubaneswar spans 2 CPCB stations with a 2-point spread (min 114, max 116); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Bhubaneswar has better air quality with an AQI of 48 compared to Varanasi's 74.