Lucknow vs Salem
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Lucknow and Salem.
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 | Lucknow | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 107.30 | 12.70 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 189.50 | 15.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 83.80 | 17.00 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 28.40 | 7.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 0.00 | 30.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 474.00 | 237.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Lucknow averaged an AQI of 127 while Salem averaged 68 — a 59-point (87%) gap, with Lucknow the more polluted and Salem the cleaner of the two. On 208 days when both cities reported, Salem was cleaner on 206 of them; the average daily gap was 138 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Lucknow peaks in November, while Salem peaks in April. Lucknow logged 6.6% Severe days and 19.4% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Salem was 0% Severe and 87.1% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Lucknow 45 days, Salem 17 days.
Year-over-year progress
Lucknow has improved by 89 AQI points (41.2%) from 2016 to 2024; Salem has improved by 5 AQI points (6.8%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Lucknow reached AQI 500 at Lalbagh (CPCB) on 2017-11-09; Salem hit AQI 214 at Sona College of Technology (TNPCB) on 2024-01-15.
Station-level disparity
Lucknow spans 7 CPCB stations with a 119-point spread (min 97, max 216); Salem spans 1 stations with a 0-point spread (min 73, max 73).
Verdict
🏆 Salem has better air quality with an AQI of 21 compared to Lucknow's 258. That's a significant difference of 237 points.