Bhiwandi — Seasonal Pollution Patterns
Month-by-month air quality patterns for Bhiwandi across 2 years of CPCB data. Based on CPCB station data, 2016–present.
Maharashtra · Live Bhiwandi AQI →
At a glance
Based on 2 years of CPCB monitoring across 1 stations, Bhiwandi averages AQI 106 annually, with a pronounced seasonal pattern classified as monsoon-cleansed. The worst month is November at AQI 181 (Moderate) and the cleanest is August at AQI 51 (Satisfactory) — a 130-point swing between them. Severe days (AQI > 400) make up 0% of the record while Good-or-Satisfactory days account for 52.9%.
The four seasons
Indian meteorological seasons: Winter (Dec–Feb), Summer (Mar–May), Monsoon (Jun–Sep), Post-monsoon (Oct–Nov).
Winter
AQI 158Summer
AQI 113Monsoon
AQI 60Post-monsoon
AQI 146Climograph — monthly averages and Poor+ days
Bars show the long-run AQI average per month. The overlay line counts days in Poor, Very Poor or Severe bands.
Year × month heatmap
One cell per year-month combination.
Each cell = monthly average AQI for that year-month combination. Row averages on the right, column averages at the bottom.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | 63 | 72 | 48 | 59 | 123 | 162 | 183 | 102 |
| 2024 | 178 | 126 | 129 | 110 | 102 | 70 | 54 | 55 | 64 | 105 | 194 | 145 | 108 |
| Avg | 178 | 126 | 129 | 110 | 102 | 68 | 63 | 52 | 62 | 113 | 181 | 163 | — |
Winter in Bhiwandi
Winter (Dec–Jan–Feb) in Bhiwandi averages AQI 158 across 95 measured days — Moderate on the NAQI scale. 0% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 1.1% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, winter improved by 18.4% in the most recent comparison. Winter is the defining season for Bhiwandi's air quality. Shallow temperature inversions trap local vehicle, industrial and biomass emissions near ground level, while regional transport patterns bring in dust and biomass smoke from upwind regions. Cool, stagnant mornings compound the problem; visibility falls, respiratory complaints spike, and short-term pollution peaks of AQI 400+ are routine. Sensitive groups — children, elderly, asthma and cardiac patients — should treat the full Dec–Jan–Feb window as a mandatory mask-and-purifier period.
Diwali, stubble burning and the monsoon
Three India-specific signatures that shape the seasonal curve.
Diwali week impact
The 7-day window around Diwali averages AQI 136 (Moderate), versus 110 (Moderate) for the rest of October. 10 sampled days across the CPCB record.
Stubble-burning window (Oct 15 – Nov 15)
In-window severe-day share 0% vs 0% outside the window. The difference is a direct signal of upwind crop-residue transport.
Monsoon cleansing (Jul 15 – Sep 15)
Core monsoon window averages AQI 50 (Good), compared with an annual mean of 106.
Summer
Summer (Mar–Apr–May) in Bhiwandi averages AQI 113 across 85 measured days — Moderate on the NAQI scale. 0% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 49.4% are Good or Satisfactory. Summer air in Bhiwandi is shaped by a very different mix of forces. Rising temperatures drive deeper vertical mixing which dilutes local emissions, but pre-monsoon dust storms, wildfires and heat-accelerated ozone formation can all push AQI higher on individual days. Bhiwandi's summer mean of 113 is the lighter side of the year for outdoor activity, though hot afternoons can still irritate sensitive airways.
Monsoon
Monsoon (Jun–Jul–Aug–Sep) in Bhiwandi averages AQI 60 across 204 measured days — Satisfactory on the NAQI scale. 0% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 94.1% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, monsoon worsened by 0.9% in the most recent comparison. The Jul 15 – Sep 15 core monsoon window averages AQI 50, a 52.8% improvement on the annual mean of 106. Rain scrubs particulates out by wet deposition, and the deeper monsoon boundary layer disperses what remains vertically. Short-lived rebounds can happen between spells of rain, but the overall pattern is strongly favourable for outdoor activity. For anyone with asthma or heart conditions, monsoon is the easy-breathing stretch of the year in Bhiwandi.
Post-monsoon
Post-monsoon (Oct–Nov) in Bhiwandi averages AQI 146 across 100 measured days — Moderate on the NAQI scale. 0% of those days fall in Very Poor or Severe; 21% are Good or Satisfactory. Year-on-year, post-monsoon worsened by 5.5% in the most recent comparison. Diwali and the three days either side of it average AQI 136 — 1.24× the normal October baseline of AQI 110 for Bhiwandi, a spike of 26 points. Post-monsoon in Bhiwandi is the handoff from clean monsoon air to the winter peak, and the transition is rarely gentle.
Month-by-month trajectories
How each month has moved across the 2-year CPCB record.
First year vs latest year
Annual and per-season comparison.
Across the 2-year CPCB record Bhiwandi is roughly stable overall — AQI moved from 102 in 2023 to 108 in 2024, a +5.9% change. No month shows a material worsening of 10% or more. No month shows a material improvement of 10% or more. Because Bhiwandi's seasonal shape is monsoon-cleansed, policy action that targets the November peak buys disproportionate relief — most city-wide annual averages are dragged upwards by the worst two or three months.
Daily calendar heatmap
Every measured day for the last 2 years. Expand for the full 2-year archive.
Month-by-month deep dive
Tap any month to expand.
Jan2024–2024Latest AQI 178+0%
Jan in Bhiwandi averages AQI 178 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 178 in 2024. Direction: stable (+0.0%).
Feb2024–2024Latest AQI 126+0%
Feb in Bhiwandi averages AQI 126 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 126 in 2024. Direction: stable (+0.0%).
Mar2024–2024Latest AQI 129+0%
Mar in Bhiwandi averages AQI 129 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 129 in 2024. Direction: stable (+0.0%).
Apr2024–2024Latest AQI 110+0%
Apr in Bhiwandi averages AQI 110 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 110 in 2024. Direction: stable (+0.0%).
May2024–2024Latest AQI 102+0%
May in Bhiwandi averages AQI 102 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 102 in 2024. Direction: stable (+0.0%).
Jun2023–2024Latest AQI 70+11%
Jun in Bhiwandi averages AQI 70 (Satisfactory) in the most recent year, having moved from 63 in 2023. Direction: worsening (+11.1%).
Jul2023–2024Latest AQI 54-25%
Jul in Bhiwandi averages AQI 54 (Satisfactory) in the most recent year, having moved from 72 in 2023. Direction: improving (-25.0%).
Aug2023–2024Latest AQI 55+15%
Aug in Bhiwandi averages AQI 55 (Satisfactory) in the most recent year, having moved from 48 in 2023. Direction: worsening (+14.6%).
Sep2023–2024Latest AQI 64+9%
Sep in Bhiwandi averages AQI 64 (Satisfactory) in the most recent year, having moved from 59 in 2023. Direction: stable (+8.5%).
Oct2023–2024Latest AQI 105-15%
Oct in Bhiwandi averages AQI 105 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 123 in 2023. Direction: improving (-14.6%).
Nov2023–2024Latest AQI 194+20%
Nov in Bhiwandi averages AQI 194 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 162 in 2023. Direction: worsening (+19.8%).
Dec2023–2024Latest AQI 145-21%
Dec in Bhiwandi averages AQI 145 (Moderate) in the most recent year, having moved from 183 in 2023. Direction: improving (-20.8%).
Cities with similar (and opposite) seasonal profiles
Ranked by cosine similarity of 12-month AQI signatures across monitored Indian cities.
Similar seasonal profile
Cities whose 12-month AQI signature most closely matches Bhiwandi.
Opposite seasonal profile
Cities whose seasonal signature least resembles Bhiwandi.
What to do with this information
If you are choosing when to visit Bhiwandi or plan outdoor events — marathons, weddings, school sports, outdoor festivals — the CPCB record says August and the two adjacent months are the lowest-risk window. Daily variability still matters; check the live AQI page before committing on any specific date. Sensitive groups should treat November in Bhiwandi as an indoor-air-priority month: close windows on high-AQI evenings, run a purifier with a HEPA filter rated for your room size, and reserve outdoor exercise for clear-weather mornings. On days above AQI 300, even healthy adults benefit from well-fitted N95 or KN95 masks for outdoor commutes.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most polluted month in Bhiwandi?
November is the most polluted month in Bhiwandi on average, with a long-run AQI of 181 — firmly in the Moderate band. This is drawn from 1 CPCB monitoring stations across 2 years of daily readings. Through November, residents should expect elevated PM2.5 and PM10, reduced visibility on cooler mornings, and strong recommendations from doctors to limit outdoor exertion, wear well-fitted N95 masks, and run indoor purifiers through evening and overnight hours when pollutant accumulation typically peaks.
What is the cleanest month to visit Bhiwandi?
August is the cleanest month of the year in Bhiwandi, averaging AQI 51 in the Satisfactory band. The months immediately before and after also tend to sit well below the annual mean of 106, so a visit window centred on August is the safest choice for outdoor sightseeing, marathons, school trips and wedding events. Mornings are usually the crispest time to head out; pollution tends to creep up slightly during the evening commute even in the cleanest months. Always cross-check the day-of live AQI before any high-exertion outdoor plan.
Why does Bhiwandi's air spike in November?
Bhiwandi shows a clear monsoon-cleansed signature — rain and deeper atmospheric mixing drop AQI to a seasonal trough, and everything else relative to that trough looks elevated. The specific November spike combines pre-monsoon dust, post-rain rebounds and the arrival of cool-season trapping effects.
How bad is Diwali air quality in Bhiwandi?
Across the CPCB record, the week around Diwali in Bhiwandi averages AQI 136 — 1.24× the normal October baseline of AQI 110, a spike of 26 AQI points. Firework particulates combine with a cooler, more stagnant late-October atmosphere to produce some of the worst air-quality days of the entire year. Sensitive groups should treat Diwali eve and the two days after as peak-alert days: stay indoors, close windows by evening, run purifiers on high, and reserve any outdoor celebrations for daytime hours when mixing is strongest.
Does the monsoon actually clean Bhiwandi's air?
Yes — meaningfully. Bhiwandi's core monsoon window (Jul 15 – Sep 15) averages AQI 50, a 52.8% improvement on the annual mean of 106. Rain removes airborne particulates by wet deposition, and the deeper monsoon boundary layer disperses what remains vertically. Across 204 measured monsoon days we see 94.1% in the Good-or-Satisfactory band.
Is Bhiwandi's worst season getting worse or better year-on-year?
Between 2023 and 2024, Bhiwandi's annual average AQI moved from 102 to 108 — a change of +5.9%. In the most recent year-on-year comparison, the winter season specifically improved by 18.4%. The long-run direction is roughly stable — underlying growth in emissions is being offset by cleaner technology or weather variability.
Which months are safest to visit Bhiwandi?
August is the single best month at AQI 51. Based on the 12-month averages, the three cleanest months in Bhiwandi are August (AQI 51), July (AQI 62), September (AQI 62). These are the safest choices for outdoor itineraries, long walks, open-air concerts and day-trips. Sensitive groups can treat these months as near-normal activity windows but should still check live AQI for the specific date. Avoid planning outdoor-heavy trips in November, when the baseline jumps into Moderate territory.
How does Bhiwandi's seasonal pattern compare to other Indian cities?
Bhiwandi is classified as monsoon-cleansed. Based on a 12-month cosine-similarity index computed across all monitored Indian cities, the city whose seasonal signature most closely resembles Bhiwandi's is Nashik (Maharashtra), with its own worst month in November. Cities with similar signatures often respond to similar policy levers — if a neighbouring peer has demonstrated improvements through specific interventions (construction-dust controls, bus electrification, brick-kiln regulation), they are likely candidates for Bhiwandi too. The peer-city panel on this page lists the closest four additional matches.