Arwal Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Arwal AQI Right Now

107

Category: Moderate

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 61.75 µg/m³

PM10: 108.37 µg/m³

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

Arwal Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.561.75 µg/m³
PM10108.37 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)10.64 µg/m³
NO₂5.28 µg/m³
SO₂2.08 µg/m³
CO960.69 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Arwal

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

Health Impact — Arwal

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 2.8 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.34 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Arwal

  • 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 Arwal Air Quality

Arwal, the administrative centre of Bihar's smallest district by area, occupies a quiet stretch of the Sone River floodplain in south-central Bihar. Despite its modest size, the town faces the same atmospheric challenges that plague the broader Indo-Gangetic Plain: flat terrain with no topographic features to channel winds, winter temperature inversions that trap ground-level emissions, and a population heavily reliant on solid biomass fuels. The Sone River's wide sandy bed contributes wind-blown dust during the dry months, adding a coarse particulate component to the air quality burden.

Winter air quality in Arwal deteriorates sharply from November onward as household biomass burning intensifies for warmth, brick kilns across the district begin their dry-season operations, and rice paddy stubble is burned in surrounding fields after the kharif harvest. The small town lacks significant industrial activity, so its pollution fingerprint is almost entirely combustion-based-dominated by organic carbon and black carbon from incomplete burning of dung cakes, wood, and agricultural residues. Dense fog settles over the Sone River basin for days at a stretch in December and January, creating stagnant conditions where PM2.5 can accumulate to unhealthy levels despite the absence of major point sources.

The monsoon transforms Arwal's air quality dramatically. Rainfall averaging around 1,000 mm between June and September suppresses dust, halts brick kiln operations, and washes suspended particulates from the atmosphere. The Sone River floods periodically, reshaping the landscape but also cleaning the air. March through May brings hot, dry conditions with occasional dust storms from the west, though air quality during this pre-monsoon period generally remains in the moderate range.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Domestic biomass burning
  • Brick kilns
  • Agricultural crop burning
  • Road dust
  • Open waste burning

Geography: Headquarters of Bihar's smallest district on the Sone River floodplain; predominantly agricultural with flat alluvial terrain

Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February

Frequently Asked Questions — Arwal

Is Arwal heavily polluted despite being a small town?

Yes, Arwal experiences significant winter pollution despite its small size. The town's location on the flat Sone River floodplain subjects it to the same Gangetic winter inversions that affect larger Bihar cities. Widespread domestic biomass burning, brick kiln emissions, and agricultural stubble burning create PM2.5 levels comparable to much larger urban centres during November through February.

What is the main source of air pollution in Arwal?

Domestic biomass burning is the predominant source. Most households in Arwal district rely on dung cakes, firewood, and crop residues for cooking and heating. This biomass combustion releases large quantities of PM2.5 and black carbon. Brick kilns and post-harvest crop burning are the other major contributors during the winter season.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities