Kota — Pollution Health Impact
2,178 days of CPCB data (2017–2024), translated through WHO 2021, Berkeley Earth and EPIC AQLI methods. Based on CPCB station data, 2016–present.
Rajasthan · Live Kota AQI →
Living in Kota is the population-level health-equivalent of smoking 2.9 cigarettes a day — roughly 1,054 cigarettes a year. On average, that chronic exposure shortens life expectancy by about 5.7 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 Kota meet?
24-hour PM2.5 compliance vs WHO 2021 targets.
- AQG1 days (0.0%)
- IT-469 days (3.2%)
- IT-3288 days (13.2%)
- IT-2304 days (14.0%)
- IT-1902 days (41.4%)
- Above IT-1614 days (28.2%)
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 Kota's 5.7 year estimate.
- Heart + stroke: 3.9y
- COPD: 0.8y
- Child ALRI: 0.8y
- Lung cancer: 0.2y
Worst and best months
Drill into full monthly pattern on the seasonal Kota page →
High-risk days for vulnerable residents
- Days above WHO IT-3 (37.5 µg/m³) — pregnancy & infant risk elevated
- 1,820 (83.6%)
- Days above WHO IT-1 (75 µg/m³) — high risk for children under 5
- 614 (28.2%)
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 Kota compares to nearby cities
- Similar exposureRourkela3.2 cigs/day · 6.4 y lost · +0.3 vs Kota
- Similar exposureBuxar3.2 cigs/day · 6.4 y lost · +0.3 vs Kota
- Cleaner peerBhubaneswar2.9 cigs/day · 5.7 y lost · -0.0 vs Kota
- Dirtier peerBhopal2.9 cigs/day · 5.8 y lost · +0.0 vs Kota
What the numbers say
Overview
Living in Kota carries a daily PM2.5 dose that Berkeley Earth compares to 2.9 cigarettes a day. Over a year, residents absorb the equivalent of 1,054 cigarettes.
The data story
EPIC's AQLI research attributes about 5.7 life-years lost per person from this chronic exposure. The WHO Air Quality Guideline was met on just 1 of 2,178 days (0.0%); 614 days (28.2%) exceeded even the 75 µg/m³ Interim Target-1 threshold.
Why this pattern
The burden concentrates in November — when the average cigarette-equivalent climbs to 4.0/day — and eases in August (1.7/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 1,820 days (83.6%) above WHO IT-3 meaningfully lowers exposure — especially for pregnant residents and children under 5.