Meerut vs Salem
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Meerut 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 | Meerut | Salem |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 71.20 | 12.90 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 96.40 | 15.80 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 33.50 | 17.10 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 11.10 | 7.50 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 42.00 | 30.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 606.00 | 243.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Meerut averaged an AQI of 144 while Salem averaged 68 — a 76-point (112%) gap, with Meerut the more polluted and Salem the cleaner of the two. On 208 days when both cities reported, Salem was cleaner on 203 of them; the average daily gap was 132 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Meerut peaks in November, while Salem peaks in April. Meerut logged 2% Severe days and 22.299999999999997% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Salem was 0% Severe and 87.1% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Meerut 25 days, Salem 17 days.
Year-over-year progress
Meerut has improved by 116 AQI points (44.6%) from 2019 to 2024; Salem has improved by 5 AQI points (6.8%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Meerut reached AQI 490 at Pallavpuram Phase 2 (UPPCB) on 2020-11-05; Salem hit AQI 214 at Sona College of Technology (TNPCB) on 2024-01-15.
Station-level disparity
Meerut spans 3 CPCB stations with a 13-point spread (min 172, max 185); Salem spans 1 stations with a 0-point spread (min 73, max 73).
Verdict
🏆 Salem has better air quality with an AQI of 22 compared to Meerut's 138. That's a significant difference of 116 points.