Vaishali Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Vaishali AQI Right Now

121

Category: Moderate

Dominant Pollutant: pm25

PM2.5: 66.04 µg/m³

PM10: 98.04 µg/m³

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

Vaishali Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.566.04 µg/m³
PM1098.04 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)20.07 µg/m³
NO₂7.33 µg/m³
SO₂2.3 µg/m³
CO565.43 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Vaishali

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

Health Impact — Vaishali

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 3 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.36 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Vaishali

  • 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 Vaishali Air Quality

Vaishali holds a singular place in South Asian civilizational history - it was one of the world's first republics, the birthplace of Lord Mahavira (founder of Jainism), and a city where Buddha delivered some of his final sermons. The archaeological site of Vaishali, with its Ashokan pillar, Coronation Tank, and ancient stupas, attracts pilgrims from across the Buddhist and Jain world. This heritage context shapes the city's identity, but Vaishali's modern air quality is governed by the same agricultural and industrial forces that affect all of north Bihar's rural towns.

Winter months (November–February) bring the sharpest air quality deterioration to Vaishali. The district's position north of the Ganga on the flat Bihar plain means it sits in the heart of the Gangetic fog belt. Temperature inversions form nightly from November, trapping emissions from paddy-field burning, sugarcane mill operations, and biomass cooking fuel within a shallow atmospheric layer above the surface. Vaishali district's banana cultivation - it is one of Bihar's leading banana-growing areas - doesn't contribute directly to pollution but the associated tractors and irrigation diesel engines add to vehicle emissions. Brick kilns along the district's stabilised ridges operate through the dry season, adding consistent PM2.5 to the already compromised winter airshed.

The monsoon season (June–September) delivers the year's best air quality, with 1,100–1,300 mm of rainfall suppressing all dust and washing ambient particulates. The proximity to the Ganga's north bank means the river's vast wetted surface provides some humidity-buffering during the dry months, but this is insufficient to overcome the severe pollution sources active from October to March. Vaishali's archaeological significance has increased heritage tourism, but the associated road paving and infrastructure construction introduces an additional urban dust source to this historically agrarian landscape.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Agricultural burning
  • Brick kilns
  • Biomass burning
  • Sugar mill emissions
  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Road dust

Geography: Ancient archaeological city in north Bihar; near Hajipur on the Ganga north bank; Buddhist and Jain pilgrimage site; banana and sugarcane farming district

Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February

Frequently Asked Questions — Vaishali

What pollutes Vaishali's air despite its historical significance?

Despite its UNESCO-recognised heritage status, Vaishali's air quality reflects the reality of north Bihar's rural economy. Agricultural burning from paddy harvests (October–November), seasonal brick kiln operations, biomass burning for cooking and heating, sugarcane mill emissions, and diesel-powered farm machinery all contribute to winter PM2.5 readings frequently exceeding 150 µg/m³. Heritage tourism infrastructure construction also adds construction dust to the urban core near the archaeological site.

Is Vaishali's air quality better or worse than Patna's?

Vaishali's air quality is broadly similar to Patna's during winter, with comparable PM2.5 levels from November to February. However, Vaishali lacks Patna's industrial sources (there are no major factories) and has less vehicle traffic, which makes individual pollution events slightly less severe in urban terms. The main driver is the same: agricultural burning over the Gangetic Plain combined with temperature inversions. During the monsoon and summer, Vaishali matches Patna's "Good" AQI periods.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities