Kolkata vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Kolkata 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 | Kolkata | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 64.70 | 43.80 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 69.40 | 52.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 18.10 | 28.20 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 13.10 | 36.90 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 86.00 | 45.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 428.00 | 440.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Kolkata averaged an AQI of 101 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 45-point (80%) gap, with Kolkata the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 1983 days when both cities reported, Varanasi was cleaner on 1046 of them; the average daily gap was 66 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Both cities see their worst air in January on average. Kolkata logged 1% Severe days and 47.800000000000004% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Kolkata 75 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Kolkata has improved by 76 AQI points (42.9%) from 2017 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Kolkata reached AQI 453 at Rabindra Bharati University (WBPCB) on 2019-01-23; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Kolkata spans 7 CPCB stations with a 56-point spread (min 95, max 151); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Varanasi has better air quality with an AQI of 74 compared to Kolkata's 117.