Madhubani Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Madhubani AQI Right Now

100

Category: Satisfactory

Dominant Pollutant: pm25

PM2.5: 59.84 µg/m³

PM10: 90.97 µg/m³

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

Madhubani Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.559.84 µg/m³
PM1090.97 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)10.52 µg/m³
NO₂11.57 µg/m³
SO₂3.33 µg/m³
CO502.97 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Madhubani

Satisfactory: Minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.

Health Impact — Madhubani

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 2.7 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.32 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Madhubani

  • 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 Madhubani Air Quality

Madhubani, the cultural cradle of Mithila painting — one of India's most celebrated folk art traditions now recognised globally — is a modest town in north Bihar sitting on the flat alluvial plain between the Kamla and Bhutahi Balan rivers, just 30 kilometres from the Nepal border. While the town's artistic heritage draws cultural tourists, its air quality challenges are quintessentially those of the rural Gangetic Bihar belt: overwhelming dependence on biomass fuels, seasonal agricultural burning, and the atmospheric trap of winter inversions over utterly flat terrain.

The October–January period brings the harshest air quality conditions. Post-kharif rice stubble burning across the district creates thick smoke layers in October and November that often merge with similar burning from adjoining Darbhanga and Sitamarhi districts into a regional haze. Through December and January, dense fog persists for days over the flat, moisture-rich landscape, trapping PM2.5 from domestic sources — dung cake and wood fires that burn in virtually every household for cooking and winter warmth. Brick kilns on the town's outskirts add to the particulate burden, while unpaved roads and limited vehicular emission standards contribute dust and exhaust.

Monsoon rainfall (June–September) is heavy at 1,200–1,400 mm, effectively cleansing the atmosphere while frequently flooding the low-lying terrain. The Kamla River is prone to spilling its banks, temporarily disrupting normalcy but improving air quality indices. Spring months (March–May) bring moderate conditions with occasional dust events from dry agricultural fields. Madhubani's limited urbanisation keeps total emission volumes lower than larger Bihar cities, but per-household biomass burning intensity is among the highest in the state.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Domestic biomass burning
  • Agricultural burning
  • Brick kilns
  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Road dust

Geography: North Bihar near the Nepal border; world-renowned for Madhubani (Mithila) painting tradition, flat Gangetic plain with Kamla and Bhutahi Balan rivers, deeply agricultural

Peak pollution months: October, November, December, January

Frequently Asked Questions — Madhubani

Does Madhubani painting activity affect local air quality?

Traditional Madhubani painting uses natural pigments derived from plants, minerals, and cow dung, which have minimal air quality impact. However, increasing commercial production has introduced synthetic paints and chemical dyes in some workshops, though their contribution to ambient air pollution remains negligible compared to biomass burning and brick kilns that dominate the town's emission profile.

What is the air quality like in Madhubani during winter?

Winter air quality in Madhubani (November–January) is typically Very Poor to Severe, with PM2.5 frequently exceeding 150–200 µg/m³ during prolonged fog episodes. The flat terrain, proximity to rivers creating high atmospheric moisture, and near-universal domestic biomass burning combine to create multi-day pollution episodes where visibility drops below 100 metres and respiratory discomfort is widespread.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities