Ghaziabad vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Ghaziabad 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 | Ghaziabad | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 71.90 | 48.20 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 97.30 | 57.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 36.60 | 38.80 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 11.50 | 27.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 36.00 | 22.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 522.00 | 523.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Ghaziabad averaged an AQI of 177 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 121-point (216%) gap, with Ghaziabad the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 2219 days when both cities reported, Varanasi was cleaner on 1894 of them; the average daily gap was 103 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Ghaziabad peaks in November, while Varanasi peaks in January. Ghaziabad logged 12.2% Severe days and 13.700000000000001% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Ghaziabad 19 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Ghaziabad has improved by 115 AQI points (39.4%) from 2017 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Ghaziabad reached AQI 500 at Vasundhara (UPPCB) on 2017-12-21; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Ghaziabad spans 4 CPCB stations with a 30-point spread (min 198, max 228); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Varanasi has better air quality with an AQI of 81 compared to Ghaziabad's 140. That's a significant difference of 59 points.