Chennai vs Kanpur
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Chennai and Kanpur.
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 | Kanpur |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 11.70 | 77.50 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 13.10 | 129.00 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 14.20 | 51.00 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 10.10 | 13.40 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 56.00 | 41.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 308.00 | 367.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Chennai averaged an AQI of 68 while Kanpur averaged 109 — a 41-point (60%) gap, with Kanpur the more polluted and Chennai the cleaner of the two. On 2208 days when both cities reported, Chennai was cleaner on 1423 of them; the average daily gap was 88 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Chennai peaks in December, while Kanpur peaks in November. Chennai logged 0% Severe days and 57.5% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Kanpur was 3.8% Severe and 36.2% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Chennai 53 days, Kanpur 70 days.
Year-over-year progress
Chennai has improved by 25 AQI points (26.9%) from 2017 to 2024; Kanpur has improved by 96 AQI points (46.8%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Chennai reached AQI 391 at Kodungaiyur (TNPCB) on 2021-05-14; Kanpur hit AQI 482 at Nehru Nagar (UPPCB) on 2017-12-29.
Station-level disparity
Chennai spans 9 CPCB stations with a 27-point spread (min 63, max 90); Kanpur spans 4 stations with a 54-point spread (min 111, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Chennai has better air quality with an AQI of 20 compared to Kanpur's 159. That's a significant difference of 139 points.