Puducherry — AQI Trends
Year-over-year AQI trajectory for Puducherry (2021–2024). Based on CPCB station data, 2016–present.
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Puducherry — annual AQI 2021–2024
Year × month heatmap
Worst single days on record
- 2022-10-25Jawahar Nagar (PPCC)274
- 2023-11-13Jawahar Nagar (PPCC)268
- 2022-12-07Jawahar Nagar (PPCC)265
- 2024-01-14Jawahar Nagar (PPCC)254
- 2022-10-24Jawahar Nagar (PPCC)241
- 2022-12-06Jawahar Nagar (PPCC)216
- 2022-12-08Jawahar Nagar (PPCC)212
- 2023-12-22Jawahar Nagar (PPCC)204
- 2024-11-01Jawahar Nagar (PPCC)197
- 2022-12-24Jawahar Nagar (PPCC)190
What the numbers say
Overview
Puducherry's AQI moved from 54 in 2021 to 55 in 2024 — a rise of 1.9% over 3 years. The long-run trend is roughly stable, with a regression slope of 0.5 AQI points per year.
The data story
The worst recorded year in Puducherry was 2023 at AQI 59, while the best was 2021 at AQI 54. The city has posted 0.6% of all measured days above AQI 200 (the Poor threshold), and its worst recorded single day hit 274 on 25 Oct 2022.
Why this pattern
Puducherry's trend has been stable — neither clearly worsening nor clearly improving. That stability often masks underlying growth in emissions being offset by cleaner vehicle technology or weather variability. The NCAP era from 2019 onward is the key policy backdrop; stability here means targets have not yet translated into measurable ground-level change.
What to do with this
For planners and residents, the trend matters as much as today's number. A worsening city needs aggressive source control and personal protection investments like indoor purifiers. An improving city rewards continued policy pressure but still requires caution during peak months. Use the live AQI page for day-to-day decisions and this chart for multi-year context. Year-over-year change of more than 10% in either direction is typically real signal, not noise.