Chennai vs Hyderabad
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Chennai and Hyderabad.
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 | Hyderabad |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 13.90 | 19.90 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 15.30 | 27.50 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 15.00 | 11.90 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 9.10 | 5.60 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 56.00 | 58.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 316.00 | 232.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Chennai averaged an AQI of 68 while Hyderabad averaged 78 — a 10-point (15%) gap, with Hyderabad the more polluted and Chennai the cleaner of the two. On 2281 days when both cities reported, Chennai was cleaner on 1314 of them; the average daily gap was 48 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Both cities see their worst air in December on average. Chennai logged 0% Severe days and 57.5% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Hyderabad was 0.2% Severe and 41.6% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Chennai 53 days, Hyderabad 71 days.
Year-over-year progress
Chennai has improved by 25 AQI points (26.9%) from 2017 to 2024; Hyderabad has improved by 24 AQI points (23.5%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Chennai reached AQI 391 at Kodungaiyur (TNPCB) on 2021-05-14; Hyderabad hit AQI 500 at Sanathnagar (TSPCB) on 2024-04-28.
Station-level disparity
Chennai spans 9 CPCB stations with a 27-point spread (min 63, max 90); Hyderabad spans 14 stations with a 35-point spread (min 62, max 97).
Verdict
🏆 Chennai has better air quality with an AQI of 23 compared to Hyderabad's 33.