Chennai vs Gangtok
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Chennai and Gangtok.
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 | Chennai | Gangtok |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 16.60 | 36.20 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 18.20 | 45.30 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 16.20 | 11.20 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 9.00 | 2.50 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 57.00 | 101.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 350.00 | 522.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Chennai averaged an AQI of 68 while Gangtok averaged 48 — a 20-point (42%) gap, with Chennai the more polluted and Gangtok the cleaner of the two. On 457 days when both cities reported, Gangtok was cleaner on 431 of them; the average daily gap was 68 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Chennai peaks in December, while Gangtok peaks in March. Chennai logged 0% Severe days and 57.5% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Gangtok was 0% Severe and 96.2% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Chennai 53 days, Gangtok 94 days.
Year-over-year progress
Chennai has improved by 25 AQI points (26.9%) from 2017 to 2024; Gangtok has worsened by 14 AQI points (41.2%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Chennai reached AQI 391 at Kodungaiyur (TNPCB) on 2021-05-14; Gangtok hit AQI 264 at Zero Point GICI (SSPCB) on 2023-01-16.
Station-level disparity
Chennai spans 9 CPCB stations with a 27-point spread (min 63, max 90); Gangtok spans 1 stations with a 0-point spread (min 50, max 50).
Verdict
🏆 Chennai has better air quality with an AQI of 28 compared to Gangtok's 61.