Kolkata vs Prayagraj
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Kolkata and Prayagraj.
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 | Kolkata | Prayagraj |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 43.70 | 32.10 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 51.30 | 75.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 2.40 | 0.60 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 11.70 | 5.40 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 180.00 | 155.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 355.00 | 202.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Kolkata averaged an AQI of 101 while Prayagraj averaged 80 — a 21-point (26%) gap, with Kolkata the more polluted and Prayagraj the cleaner of the two. On 938 days when both cities reported, Prayagraj was cleaner on 523 of them; the average daily gap was 59 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Kolkata peaks in January, while Prayagraj peaks in November. Kolkata logged 1% Severe days and 47.800000000000004% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Prayagraj was 0.2% Severe and 48% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Kolkata 75 days, Prayagraj 69 days.
Year-over-year progress
Kolkata has improved by 76 AQI points (42.9%) from 2017 to 2024; Prayagraj has improved by 42 AQI points (34.4%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Kolkata reached AQI 453 at Rabindra Bharati University (WBPCB) on 2019-01-23; Prayagraj hit AQI 416 at Nagar Nigam (UPPCB) on 2021-11-08.
Station-level disparity
Kolkata spans 7 CPCB stations with a 56-point spread (min 95, max 151); Prayagraj spans 3 stations with a 9-point spread (min 96, max 105).
Verdict
🏆 Kolkata has better air quality with an AQI of 73 compared to Prayagraj's 76.