Darbhanga vs Salem
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Darbhanga and Salem.
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 | Darbhanga | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 114.10 | 12.70 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 129.90 | 15.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 56.30 | 17.00 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 18.30 | 7.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 16.00 | 30.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 816.00 | 237.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2023, Darbhanga averaged an AQI of 365 while Salem averaged 68 — a 297-point (437%) gap, with Darbhanga the more polluted and Salem the cleaner of the two. On 66 days when both cities reported, Salem was cleaner on 58 of them; the average daily gap was 239 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Darbhanga peaks in December, while Salem peaks in April. Darbhanga logged 7.1% Severe days and 26.9% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Salem was 0% Severe and 87.1% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Darbhanga 20 days, Salem 17 days.
Year-over-year progress
Darbhanga has worsened by 116 AQI points (46.6%) from 2021 to 2023; Salem has improved by 5 AQI points (6.8%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Darbhanga reached AQI 473 at Town Hall Lal Bagh (BSPCB) on 2023-01-01; Salem hit AQI 214 at Sona College of Technology (TNPCB) on 2024-01-15.
Station-level disparity
Darbhanga spans 1 CPCB stations with a 0-point spread (min 208, max 208); Salem spans 1 stations with a 0-point spread (min 73, max 73).
Verdict
🏆 Salem has better air quality with an AQI of 21 compared to Darbhanga's 281. That's a significant difference of 260 points.