Kochi vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Kochi 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 | Kochi | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 8.10 | 48.20 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 10.50 | 57.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 9.10 | 38.80 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 2.60 | 27.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 26.00 | 22.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 110.00 | 523.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Kochi averaged an AQI of 91 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 35-point (63%) gap, with Kochi the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 878 days when both cities reported, Kochi was cleaner on 559 of them; the average daily gap was 70 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Both cities see their worst air in January on average. Kochi logged 0% Severe days and 70.9% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Kochi 80 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Kochi has worsened by 7 AQI points (8.3%) from 2020 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Kochi reached AQI 293 at Vyttila Kochi (PCB) on 2022-12-08; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Kochi spans 1 CPCB stations with a 0-point spread (min 88, max 88); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Kochi has better air quality with an AQI of 14 compared to Varanasi's 81. That's a significant difference of 67 points.