Dehradun vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Dehradun and Varanasi.
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 | Dehradun | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 20.80 | 48.20 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 20.80 | 57.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 41.40 | 38.80 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 3.80 | 27.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 25.00 | 22.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 395.00 | 523.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Dehradun averaged an AQI of 106 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 50-point (89%) gap, with Dehradun the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 502 days when both cities reported, Varanasi was cleaner on 269 of them; the average daily gap was 55 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Both cities see their worst air in January on average. Dehradun logged 0% Severe days and 62.8% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Dehradun 41 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Dehradun has worsened by 19 AQI points (21.8%) from 2022 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Dehradun reached AQI 327 at Doon University (UKPCB) on 2024-01-19; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Dehradun spans 1 CPCB stations with a 0-point spread (min 98, max 98); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Dehradun has better air quality with an AQI of 35 compared to Varanasi's 81.