Salem vs Thiruvananthapuram
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Salem and Thiruvananthapuram.
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 | Salem | Thiruvananthapuram |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 13.70 | 5.30 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 16.40 | 9.50 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 15.30 | 1.50 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 9.30 | 0.40 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 37.00 | 38.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 240.00 | 102.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Salem averaged an AQI of 68 while Thiruvananthapuram averaged 56 — a 12-point (21%) gap, with Salem the more polluted and Thiruvananthapuram the cleaner of the two. On 208 days when both cities reported, Salem was cleaner on 110 of them; the average daily gap was 23 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Salem peaks in April, while Thiruvananthapuram peaks in January. Salem logged 0% Severe days and 87.1% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Thiruvananthapuram was 0% Severe and 92% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Salem 17 days, Thiruvananthapuram 172 days.
Year-over-year progress
Salem has improved by 5 AQI points (6.8%) from 2022 to 2024; Thiruvananthapuram has improved by 11 AQI points (16.4%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Salem reached AQI 214 at Sona College of Technology (TNPCB) on 2024-01-15; Thiruvananthapuram hit AQI 387 at Plammoodu Thiruvananthapuram (PCB) on 2021-08-30.
Station-level disparity
Salem spans 1 CPCB stations with a 0-point spread (min 73, max 73); Thiruvananthapuram spans 2 stations with a 7-point spread (min 57, max 64).
Verdict
🏆 Thiruvananthapuram has better air quality with an AQI of 10 compared to Salem's 23.