Chennai vs Prayagraj
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Chennai and Prayagraj.
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 | Prayagraj |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 16.60 | 80.10 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 18.20 | 101.50 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 16.20 | 63.30 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 9.00 | 16.20 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 57.00 | 1.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 350.00 | 275.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Chennai averaged an AQI of 68 while Prayagraj averaged 80 — a 12-point (18%) gap, with Prayagraj the more polluted and Chennai the cleaner of the two. On 938 days when both cities reported, Chennai was cleaner on 497 of them; the average daily gap was 53 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Chennai peaks in December, while Prayagraj peaks in November. Chennai logged 0% Severe days and 57.5% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Prayagraj was 0.2% Severe and 48% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Chennai 53 days, Prayagraj 69 days.
Year-over-year progress
Chennai has improved by 25 AQI points (26.9%) from 2017 to 2024; Prayagraj has improved by 42 AQI points (34.4%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Chennai reached AQI 391 at Kodungaiyur (TNPCB) on 2021-05-14; Prayagraj hit AQI 416 at Nagar Nigam (UPPCB) on 2021-11-08.
Station-level disparity
Chennai spans 9 CPCB stations with a 27-point spread (min 63, max 90); Prayagraj spans 3 stations with a 9-point spread (min 96, max 105).
Verdict
🏆 Chennai has better air quality with an AQI of 28 compared to Prayagraj's 167. That's a significant difference of 139 points.