Chennai vs Rourkela
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Chennai and Rourkela.
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 | Rourkela |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 11.70 | 111.80 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 13.10 | 123.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 14.20 | 35.70 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 10.10 | 23.90 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 56.00 | 66.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 308.00 | 408.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Chennai averaged an AQI of 68 while Rourkela averaged 115 — a 47-point (69%) gap, with Rourkela the more polluted and Chennai the cleaner of the two. On 395 days when both cities reported, Chennai was cleaner on 256 of them; the average daily gap was 64 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Chennai peaks in December, while Rourkela peaks in November. Chennai logged 0% Severe days and 57.5% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Rourkela was 0% Severe and 32.9% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Chennai 53 days, Rourkela 60 days.
Year-over-year progress
Chennai has improved by 25 AQI points (26.9%) from 2017 to 2024; Rourkela has improved by 112 AQI points (49.3%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Chennai reached AQI 391 at Kodungaiyur (TNPCB) on 2021-05-14; Rourkela hit AQI 344 at Raghunathpali (OSPCB) on 2024-01-01.
Station-level disparity
Chennai spans 9 CPCB stations with a 27-point spread (min 63, max 90); Rourkela spans 3 stations with a 29-point spread (min 106, max 135).
Verdict
🏆 Chennai has better air quality with an AQI of 20 compared to Rourkela's 273. That's a significant difference of 253 points.