Surat vs Varanasi
Side-by-side air quality comparison between Surat 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 | Surat | Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5(µg/m³) | 23.90 | 48.20 |
| PM10(µg/m³) | 45.10 | 57.90 |
| NO₂(µg/m³) | 22.90 | 38.80 |
| SO₂(µg/m³) | 38.50 | 27.00 |
| O₃(µg/m³) | 33.00 | 22.00 |
| CO(µg/m³) | 249.00 | 523.00 |
CPCB Multi-Year History (2016–2024)
Summary
Overview
In 2024, Surat averaged an AQI of 83 while Varanasi averaged 56 — a 27-point (48%) gap, with Surat the more polluted and Varanasi the cleaner of the two. On 333 days when both cities reported, Varanasi was cleaner on 196 of them; the average daily gap was 47 AQI points.
Seasonality & days
Surat peaks in November, while Varanasi peaks in January. Surat logged 0% Severe days and 55.9% Good-or-Satisfactory days; Varanasi was 2.8% Severe and 36% Good-or-Satisfactory. Longest clean-air streaks: Surat 55 days, Varanasi 87 days.
Year-over-year progress
Surat has improved by 139 AQI points (62.6%) from 2022 to 2024; Varanasi has improved by 169 AQI points (75.1%) over the same window. The worst recorded day for Surat reached AQI 384 at Science Center (SMC) on 2023-08-19; Varanasi hit AQI 500 at Ardhali Bazar (UPPCB) on 2017-07-11.
Station-level disparity
Surat spans 1 CPCB stations with a 0-point spread (min 123, max 123); Varanasi spans 4 stations with a 94-point spread (min 71, max 165).
Verdict
🏆 Surat has better air quality with an AQI of 45 compared to Varanasi's 81.