Hyderabad vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Hyderabad 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 | Hyderabad | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 19.90 | 48.20 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 27.50 | 57.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 11.90 | 38.80 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 5.60 | 27.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 58.00 | 22.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 232.00 | 523.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Hyderabad averaged an AQI of 78 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 22-point (39%) gap, with Hyderabad the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 2401 days when both cities reported, Hyderabad was cleaner on 1471 of them; the average daily gap was 84 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Hyderabad peaks in December, while Varanasi peaks in January. Hyderabad logged 0.2% Severe days and 41.6% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Hyderabad 71 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Hyderabad has improved by 24 AQI points (23.5%) from 2016 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Hyderabad reached AQI 500 at Sanathnagar (TSPCB) on 2024-04-28; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Hyderabad spans 14 CPCB stations with a 35-point spread (min 62, max 97); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Hyderabad has better air quality with an AQI of 33 compared to Varanasi's 81.