Belgaum — Pollution Health Impact
764 days of CPCB data (2022–2024), translated through WHO 2021, Berkeley Earth and EPIC AQLI methods. Based on CPCB station data, 2016–present.
Karnataka · Live Belgaum AQI →
Living in Belgaum is the population-level health-equivalent of smoking 1.8 cigarettes a day — roughly 665 cigarettes a year. On average, that chronic exposure shortens life expectancy by about 3.4 years per resident.
Cigarette-equivalence (Berkeley Earth 2015) and life-years lost (EPIC AQLI) are peer-reviewed communication heuristics, not clinical diagnoses. Full sources linked on the methodology page.
Headline impact numbers
Cigarettes/day by year
Annual average cigarette-equivalent.
Clean-air days (NAQI ≤ 50) by year
Days when NAQI stayed in the “Good” band.
Which WHO tier did Belgaum meet?
24-hour PM2.5 compliance vs WHO 2021 targets.
- AQG2 days (0.3%)
- IT-464 days (8.4%)
- IT-3408 days (53.4%)
- IT-2130 days (17.0%)
- IT-1109 days (14.3%)
- Above IT-151 days (6.7%)
WHO AQG (15) · IT-4 (25) · IT-3 (37.5) · IT-2 (50) · IT-1 (75) µg/m³ (24-hour PM2.5).
Life-years lost, by disease
Applying WHO's global attribution (68/14/14/4) to Belgaum's 3.4 year estimate.
- Heart + stroke: 2.3y
- COPD: 0.5y
- Child ALRI: 0.5y
- Lung cancer: 0.1y
Worst and best months
Drill into full monthly pattern on the seasonal Belgaum page →
High-risk days for vulnerable residents
- Days above WHO IT-3 (37.5 µg/m³) — pregnancy & infant risk elevated
- 290 (38.0%)
- Days above WHO IT-1 (75 µg/m³) — high risk for children under 5
- 51 (6.7%)
Source: WHO 2021 AQG interim-target risk framework; WHO 2024 ambient-air fact sheet identifies children under 5 and pregnant residents as the most vulnerable groups.
How Belgaum compares to nearby cities
- Similar exposureVijayawada2.0 cigs/day · 3.8 y lost · +0.2 vs Belgaum
- Similar exposureSangli2.0 cigs/day · 3.8 y lost · +0.2 vs Belgaum
- Cleaner peerVellore1.8 cigs/day · 3.4 y lost · -0.0 vs Belgaum
- Dirtier peerBilaspur1.8 cigs/day · 3.5 y lost · +0.0 vs Belgaum
What the numbers say
Overview
Living in Belgaum carries a daily PM2.5 dose that Berkeley Earth compares to 1.8 cigarettes a day. Over a year, residents absorb the equivalent of 665 cigarettes.
The data story
EPIC's AQLI research attributes about 3.4 life-years lost per person from this chronic exposure. The WHO Air Quality Guideline was met on just 2 of 764 days (0.3%); 51 days (6.7%) exceeded even the 75 µg/m³ Interim Target-1 threshold.
Why this pattern
The burden concentrates in January — when the average cigarette-equivalent climbs to 2.6/day — and eases in September (1.2/day). Globally, WHO attributes 68% of PM2.5 deaths to heart disease and stroke, with the remainder split across COPD, childhood ALRI, and lung cancer.
What to do with this
Cigarette-equivalence is a communication tool, not a medical verdict. Still, the direction is clear: time indoors with a HEPA unit and a good-fit mask outdoors during the 290 days (38.0%) above WHO IT-3 meaningfully lowers exposure — especially for pregnant residents and children under 5.