Bettiah Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Bettiah AQI Right Now

85

Category: Satisfactory

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 41.06 µg/m³

PM10: 84.38 µg/m³

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

Bettiah Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.541.06 µg/m³
PM1084.38 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)13.42 µg/m³
NO₂14.59 µg/m³
SO₂8.28 µg/m³
CO639.74 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Bettiah

Satisfactory: Minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.

Health Impact — Bettiah

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 1.9 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.2 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Bettiah

  • General Population: Acceptable air quality. Unusually sensitive people should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
  • Elderly: Minor breathing discomfort is possible.
  • Children: Should be fine outdoors with normal activities.
  • Lung Disease Patients: Consider reducing prolonged outdoor exertion.

Understanding Bettiah Air Quality

Bettiah, the headquarters of West Champaran district, sits at the edge of the Terai lowlands where the flat Gangetic plain begins its gradual rise toward the Sub-Himalayan foothills along the Nepal border. This geographic position gives Bettiah a slightly different atmospheric character than core Gangetic plain towns: cold air drainage from the nearby foothills can intensify ground-level inversions during winter nights, while the higher moisture content of the Terai zone promotes exceptionally dense fog. The surrounding countryside is Bihar's sugarcane heartland, and the milling season's industrial emissions add an agricultural-industrial dimension to the town's air quality challenges.

From November through February, Bettiah's air quality deteriorates significantly. Sugar mills processing the cane harvest release bagasse ash and process emissions that mingle with smoke from the widespread practice of burning cane trash in the fields-farmers torch dry sugarcane leaves and tops to clear land quickly for the next planting cycle. Brick kilns on the town's periphery add fly ash and carbon monoxide, while households across the district burn enormous quantities of dung cakes and firewood for cooking and heating through the cold Terai winter. The fog can be extraordinarily dense here, with visibility at times dropping to ten metres and persisting well into the afternoon hours, keeping PM2.5 trapped at hazardous concentrations.

The monsoon arrives forcefully in June, with Bettiah receiving approximately 1,200 to 1,500 mm of rainfall-somewhat more than the central Bihar plains due to its proximity to the foothills. This heavy precipitation scrubs the atmosphere efficiently. The sugarcane growing season coincides with the monsoon, meaning the lush green cane fields actually improve local air quality through biological filtration during summer. March through May can bring hot westerly dust storms, but the greening Terai landscape generally keeps air quality moderate outside the winter window.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Sugar mill emissions
  • Domestic biomass burning
  • Brick kilns
  • Agricultural crop burning
  • Vehicle exhaust

Geography: West Champaran district headquarters in the Terai foothills near the Nepal border; sugarcane belt with flat terrain transitioning to Sub-Himalayan lowlands

Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February

Frequently Asked Questions — Bettiah

How does sugarcane farming affect Bettiah's air quality?

Sugarcane impacts Bettiah's air in two opposing ways. During the growing season (monsoon), lush cane fields act as biological air filters, improving local conditions. However, post-harvest burning of cane trash from November onward, combined with sugar mill processing emissions (bagasse ash, process gases), significantly degrades winter air quality across West Champaran district.

Does Bettiah's location near the Nepal border affect its air quality?

Bettiah's Terai position near the Nepal foothills influences its microclimate. Cold air drainage from the higher terrain intensifies nighttime ground-level inversions in winter, while the Terai's higher moisture content produces especially dense and persistent fog. These factors can make winter pollution episodes more severe than in towns further south on the open Gangetic plain.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities