Kalaburagi — Pollution Health Impact
1,430 days of CPCB data (2018–2024), translated through WHO 2021, Berkeley Earth and EPIC AQLI methods. Based on CPCB station data, 2016–present.
Karnataka · Live Kalaburagi AQI →
Living in Kalaburagi is the population-level health-equivalent of smoking 2.1 cigarettes a day — roughly 761 cigarettes a year. On average, that chronic exposure shortens life expectancy by about 4.0 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 Kalaburagi meet?
24-hour PM2.5 compliance vs WHO 2021 targets.
- AQG84 days (5.9%)
- IT-4301 days (21.0%)
- IT-3298 days (20.8%)
- IT-2169 days (11.8%)
- IT-1450 days (31.5%)
- Above IT-1128 days (9.0%)
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 Kalaburagi's 4.0 year estimate.
- Heart + stroke: 2.7y
- COPD: 0.6y
- Child ALRI: 0.6y
- Lung cancer: 0.2y
Worst and best months
Drill into full monthly pattern on the seasonal Kalaburagi page →
High-risk days for vulnerable residents
- Days above WHO IT-3 (37.5 µg/m³) — pregnancy & infant risk elevated
- 747 (52.2%)
- Days above WHO IT-1 (75 µg/m³) — high risk for children under 5
- 128 (9.0%)
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 Kalaburagi compares to nearby cities
- Similar exposureNashik2.3 cigs/day · 4.4 y lost · +0.2 vs Kalaburagi
- Similar exposureTirumala2.3 cigs/day · 4.4 y lost · +0.2 vs Kalaburagi
- Cleaner peerHubli-Dharwad2.1 cigs/day · 4.0 y lost · -0.0 vs Kalaburagi
- Dirtier peerBareilly2.1 cigs/day · 4.1 y lost · +0.0 vs Kalaburagi
What the numbers say
Overview
Across 1,430 days of CPCB monitoring, the average adult in Kalaburagi has breathed air with the health-equivalent of smoking 2.1 cigarettes a day — roughly 761 cigarettes every year (Berkeley Earth, 2015).
The data story
EPIC's AQLI research attributes about 4.0 life-years lost per person from this chronic exposure. The WHO Air Quality Guideline was met on just 84 of 1,430 days (5.9%); 128 days (9.0%) 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 2.9/day — and eases in September (0.9/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 747 days (52.2%) above WHO IT-3 meaningfully lowers exposure — especially for pregnant residents and children under 5.