Raipur Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Raipur AQI Right Now

67

Category: Satisfactory

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 25.96 µg/m³

PM10: 66.26 µg/m³

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

Raipur Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.525.96 µg/m³
PM1066.26 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)2.38 µg/m³
NO₂25.82 µg/m³
SO₂1.43 µg/m³
CO766.98 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Raipur

Satisfactory: Minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.

Health Impact — Raipur

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 1.2 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.1 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Raipur

  • 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 Raipur Air Quality

Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh, is at the heart of one of India's most industrially intensive corridors. The Bhilai-Durg-Raipur triangle houses the Bhilai Steel Plant, numerous sponge iron units, thermal power stations, and cement factories that create a persistent industrial emission baseline unlike any other state capital. The surrounding Korba coal belt and Dalli-Rajhara iron ore mines add fugitive dust from mining and transportation.

Winter months (November–February) bring the worst air quality as temperature inversions trap industrial and vehicular emissions over the flat central Indian plateau. PM2.5 levels regularly exceed 180 µg/m³, with the nearby sponge iron cluster (one of India's densest) contributing significant PM, SO2, and heavy metals to the ambient air. The laterite (red) soil characteristic of the region generates distinctive reddish road dust that keeps PM10 levels elevated year-round.

Raipur's rapid urban expansion as a new state capital (Chhattisgarh was carved from Madhya Pradesh in 2000) has brought massive construction activity, road building, and real-estate development that generate continuous dust. The CSEB thermal power plant within city limits and numerous brick kilns on the periphery add to emissions. The monsoon (June–September, ~1,300 mm rainfall) provides significant relief, washing red laterite dust and industrial haze from the atmosphere.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Industrial emissions (steel, sponge iron, power plants)
  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Road and construction dust
  • Mining-related dust (limestone, coal)
  • Brick kilns
  • Domestic biomass burning

Geography: Central Indian plateau; surrounded by heavy industry belt (Bhilai-Durg-Raipur corridor), laterite soil creates red dust, coal-mining belt to the north

Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February

Frequently Asked Questions — Raipur

How does the Bhilai steel plant affect Raipur's air?

The Bhilai Steel Plant (SAIL), located just 25 km from Raipur, is one of India's largest integrated steel plants. Its stack emissions (PM, SO2, NOx) and the surrounding cluster of sponge iron units contribute significantly to Raipur's ambient air pollution, especially when northwesterly winds carry emissions towards the city.

Why is Raipur among India's most polluted state capitals?

Raipur's unique combination of heavy industry (steel, sponge iron, cement, power plants), coal mining in the hinterland, laterite soil generating red dust, rapid construction as a new state capital, and winter inversions creates pollution levels among the worst for any Indian state capital.

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