Madurai vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Madurai 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 | Madurai | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 15.50 | 43.80 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 16.70 | 52.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 19.40 | 28.20 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 4.80 | 36.90 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 20.00 | 45.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 212.00 | 440.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Madurai averaged an AQI of 48 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 8-point (17%) gap, with Varanasi the more polluted and Madurai the cleaner of the two. On 76 days when both cities reported, Madurai was cleaner on 69 of them; the average daily gap was 54 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Madurai peaks in December, while Varanasi peaks in January. Madurai logged 0% Severe days and 98.7% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Madurai 17 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
The worst recorded day for Madurai reached AQI 105 at Uchapatti (TNPCB) on 2024-11-26; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Madurai spans 1 CPCB stations with a 0-point spread (min 48, max 48); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Madurai has better air quality with an AQI of 26 compared to Varanasi's 74.