Bhojpur (Ara) Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today
Bihar, India — Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) and PM2.5
Bhojpur AQI Right Now
Category: Poor
Dominant Pollutant: pm25
PM2.5: 93.06 µg/m³
PM10: 141.17 µg/m³
Last updated: 2026-03-24 — Data source: Google Air Quality API (NAQI). Live NAQI values load when you visit the page.
Bhojpur Pollutant Levels
| Pollutant | Concentration |
|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 93.06 µg/m³ |
| PM10 | 141.17 µg/m³ |
| O₃ (Ozone) | 3.7 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 12.87 µg/m³ |
| SO₂ | 1.61 µg/m³ |
| CO | 995.32 µg/m³ |
Health Advisory — Bhojpur
Poor: Breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure.
Recommendation: Sensitive groups (children, elderly, people with respiratory conditions) should limit outdoor exposure.
Warning: Everyone should avoid prolonged outdoor activities. Keep windows closed and use air purifiers if available.
Health Impact — Bhojpur
Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 4.2 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).
Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.54 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).
Health Recommendations for Bhojpur
- General Population: Everyone should reduce prolonged outdoor exertion.
- Elderly: Avoid outdoor activities. Stay indoors.
- Children: Avoid outdoor play and exertion.
- Lung Disease Patients: Stay indoors. Keep windows closed.
Understanding Bhojpur Air Quality
Bhojpur district, anchored by the historic town of Ara (Arrah) on the Sone River, occupies the Gangetic Plain between Patna and Varanasi - one of the most persistently polluted corridors in India. Ara gained national fame during the 1857 uprising under Veer Kunwar Singh, but its modern legacy is shaped as much by agricultural cycles as by history. The district's flat terrain, intensive rice-wheat farming, and dense brick-kiln distribution along the Sone River create a pollution profile dominated by seasonal biomass burning and year-round dust emissions.
Winter months (November–February) are the most hazardous period for Bhojpur's air. Post-kharif rice harvest burning (October–November) coincides with brick kiln activation in the dry season, generating a compound pollution event across the flat landscape. Dense morning fog, typical of the Gangetic winter, traps PM2.5 near the surface and creates extended periods of hazardous AQI exceeding 300 µg/m³. Rice mills operating at full capacity during the post-harvest season add grain dust and exhaust to the ambient burden. The Sone River's dry-season sandy floodplain contributes windblown coarse particulates.
Summers (March–May) bring high temperatures that lift inversions, offering partial relief, but road dust from dry unpaved tracks and tractor traffic keeps PM10 elevated. The monsoon (June–September), delivering 900–1,100 mm of rainfall, dramatically clears pollutants and provides the year's best air quality. Bhojpur's air quality is deeply tied to the agricultural calendar and remains one of Bihar's more challenging districts for clean air, reflecting the broader Indo-Gangetic Plain crisis.
Primary Pollution Sources
- Agricultural burning
- Brick kilns
- Vehicle exhaust
- Rice mill dust
- Biomass burning
- Road dust
Geography: Bhojpur district on the Gangetic Plain south of Patna; Ara (Arrah) is the district HQ on the Sone River; rice, wheat, and sugarcane farming district
Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February
Frequently Asked Questions — Bhojpur
Why is Bhojpur's air quality poor in winter?
Bhojpur's winter pollution is driven by a convergence of factors: rice stubble burning after the kharif harvest (October–November), brick kiln operations that run through the dry season, biomass burning for domestic cooking and heating, and the Gangetic Plain's notorious temperature inversions and fog that trap pollutants at ground level from November through February.
What are the main pollution sources in Ara (Bhojpur)?
Ara's main pollution sources are agricultural residue burning from surrounding rice and wheat fields, brick kilns concentrated along the Sone River floodplain, rice mill dust and exhaust during post-harvest processing, heavy vehicle and tractor exhaust on agricultural roads, and construction dust from ongoing urbanisation. The flat, windless winter geometry amplifies all these sources.
Air Quality in Nearby Cities
- Ara AQI — Bihar
- Chapra AQI — Bihar
- Saran AQI — Bihar
- Arwal AQI — Bihar
- Danapur AQI — Bihar
- Patna AQI — Bihar