Shillong vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Shillong 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 | Shillong | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 20.40 | 48.20 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 23.70 | 57.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 4.20 | 38.80 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 5.70 | 27.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 99.00 | 22.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 305.00 | 523.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Shillong averaged an AQI of 75 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 19-point (34%) gap, with Shillong the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 968 days when both cities reported, Shillong was cleaner on 849 of them; the average daily gap was 90 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Shillong peaks in February, while Varanasi peaks in January. Shillong logged 0% Severe days and 92% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Shillong 113 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Shillong has worsened by 41 AQI points (120.6%) from 2019 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Shillong reached AQI 212 at Lumpyngngad Shillong (PCB) on 2024-02-19; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Shillong spans 2 CPCB stations with a 2-point spread (min 42, max 44); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Shillong has better air quality with an AQI of 34 compared to Varanasi's 81.