Aligarh Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

Uttar Pradesh, India — Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) and PM2.5

Aligarh AQI Right Now

117

Category: Moderate

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 52.83 µg/m³

PM10: 123.78 µg/m³

Last updated: 2026-03-24 — Data source: Google Air Quality API (NAQI). Live NAQI values load when you visit the page.

Aligarh Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.552.83 µg/m³
PM10123.78 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)6.89 µg/m³
NO₂13.23 µg/m³
SO₂5.43 µg/m³
CO601.31 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Aligarh

Moderate: Breathing discomfort to people with lungs, asthma and heart diseases.

Health Impact — Aligarh

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 2.4 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.28 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Aligarh

  • General Population: People with respiratory or heart conditions should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
  • Elderly: Reduce prolonged outdoor activities.
  • Children: Reduce prolonged outdoor play.
  • Lung Disease Patients: Avoid prolonged outdoor exertion.

Understanding Aligarh Air Quality

Aligarh, universally known as India's lock-manufacturing capital, contends with a distinctive air quality challenge shaped by its industrial character and Gangetic Plain geography. The city's thousands of small-scale lock, hardware, and brass workshops - concentrated in areas like Upper Fort, Sarai Rehman, and Turkman Gate - release metallic particulate matter, grinding dust, and furnace emissions into the ambient air year-round. This industrial PM is layered on top of the same regional pollution burden (vehicle exhaust, road dust, biomass cooking) that afflicts the entire western Uttar Pradesh corridor stretching from Delhi through Ghaziabad, Meerut, and beyond.

Winter months (October–January) are particularly severe, with temperature inversions trapping emissions close to the ground while crop residue burning smoke from Punjab and Haryana drifts southeast into the Upper Doab region. PM2.5 levels routinely exceed 200 µg/m³ in November and December, pushing the NAQI into Very Poor or Severe categories. Brick kilns on the city's outskirts add to the load, and the flat, shelterless terrain offers no natural dispersion mechanism. The Aligarh Muslim University campus - one of Asia's largest university campuses - acts as a modest green island with its tree-lined roads and open playing fields, but its effect is hyperlocal.

The onset of the monsoon (July–September) brings the cleanest air, with rainfall scrubbing particulates and suppressing dust. Summer months (April–June) see moderate PM10 from road dust and construction but remain well below winter peaks. Aligarh's position on National Highway 91 means constant heavy-vehicle transit traffic, adding diesel soot to the ambient mix regardless of season.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Lock and hardware industry emissions
  • Brick kilns
  • Crop residue burning
  • Road dust
  • Domestic biomass burning

Geography: Upper Gangetic Plain between Delhi and Lucknow; flat terrain, part of western UP pollution belt, Aligarh Muslim University campus provides localised green cover

Peak pollution months: October, November, December, January

Frequently Asked Questions — Aligarh

How does Aligarh's lock industry affect air quality?

Aligarh's lock and hardware manufacturing cluster - comprising over 5,000 small workshops - releases metallic particulate matter, grinding dust, and emissions from brass-melting and electroplating furnaces. These contribute to elevated PM2.5 and PM10 levels, particularly in the old city industrial areas around Upper Fort and Sarai Rehman. While individual units are small, their collective impact is significant.

How does Aligarh's air quality compare with NCR cities?

Aligarh's winter air quality is comparable to many NCR cities, with AQI frequently reaching Very Poor (301–400) and occasionally Severe (400+) during November–December. While it lacks Delhi's traffic density, its industrial emissions and position in the western UP pollution corridor - which receives crop burning smoke from Punjab and Haryana - produce similar winter peaks.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities