Prayagraj — Pollution Health Impact
938 days of CPCB data (2021–2024), translated through WHO 2021, Berkeley Earth and EPIC AQLI methods. Based on CPCB station data, 2016–present.
Uttar Pradesh · Live Prayagraj AQI →
Living in Prayagraj is the population-level health-equivalent of smoking 2.8 cigarettes a day — roughly 1,020 cigarettes a year. On average, that chronic exposure shortens life expectancy by about 5.5 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 Prayagraj meet?
24-hour PM2.5 compliance vs WHO 2021 targets.
- AQG6 days (0.6%)
- IT-451 days (5.4%)
- IT-3122 days (13.0%)
- IT-2148 days (15.8%)
- IT-1409 days (43.6%)
- Above IT-1202 days (21.5%)
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 Prayagraj's 5.5 year estimate.
- Heart + stroke: 3.8y
- COPD: 0.8y
- Child ALRI: 0.8y
- Lung cancer: 0.2y
Worst and best months
Drill into full monthly pattern on the seasonal Prayagraj page →
High-risk days for vulnerable residents
- Days above WHO IT-3 (37.5 µg/m³) — pregnancy & infant risk elevated
- 759 (80.9%)
- Days above WHO IT-1 (75 µg/m³) — high risk for children under 5
- 202 (21.5%)
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 Prayagraj compares to nearby cities
What the numbers say
Overview
Living in Prayagraj carries a daily PM2.5 dose that Berkeley Earth compares to 2.8 cigarettes a day. Over a year, residents absorb the equivalent of 1,020 cigarettes.
The data story
EPIC's AQLI research attributes about 5.5 life-years lost per person from this chronic exposure. The WHO Air Quality Guideline was met on just 6 of 938 days (0.6%); 202 days (21.5%) 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 4.5/day — and eases in September (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 759 days (80.9%) above WHO IT-3 meaningfully lowers exposure — especially for pregnant residents and children under 5.