Gonda Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Gonda AQI Right Now

142

Category: Moderate

Dominant Pollutant: pm25

PM2.5: 72.45 µg/m³

PM10: 79.72 µg/m³

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

Gonda Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.572.45 µg/m³
PM1079.72 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)16.76 µg/m³
NO₂17.44 µg/m³
SO₂5.18 µg/m³
CO495.14 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Gonda

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

Health Impact — Gonda

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 3.3 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.41 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Gonda

  • 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 Gonda Air Quality

Gonda, in Gonda district, is embedded in Uttar Pradesh's sugarcane belt - one of the most agriculturally intensive regions in India and a major driver of seasonal air quality cycles.

The air quality calendar in Gonda follows the sugarcane agricultural cycle precisely. The crushing season (October–April) brings sustained emissions from sugar mill stacks, while bagasse burning provides thermal energy but adds to ambient PM. Simultaneously, paddy field burning from the kharif harvest (October–November) and wheat stubble burning after the rabi crop (April–May) create two agricultural burning peaks annually. The Saryu River basin's flat terrain ensures minimal natural dispersion.

Winter months (November–February) combine all sources simultaneously: sugar mill operations, agricultural burning, widespread biomass cooking fuel, and brick kiln activity under temperature inversions that are among the most severe in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. PM2.5 readings of 150–250 µg/m³ are not uncommon during peak episodes. The monsoon (July–September) provides the year's cleanest air as rainfall suppresses all dust and temporarily interrupts agricultural burning cycles.

Primary Pollution Sources

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

Geography: eastern UP sugar belt; Saryu River basin; dense sugarcane cultivation; multiple operational sugar mills

Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February

Frequently Asked Questions — Gonda

When is air quality worst in Gonda?

Air quality in Gonda is at its worst during November through February, when winter temperature inversions over the Gangetic Plain trap emissions from sugarcane mill emissions, agricultural burning, and biomass burning near the surface. The combination of post-kharif agricultural burning (October–November), brick kiln activation, and cold inversion episodes creates PM2.5 readings that frequently exceed 150 µg/m³ and sometimes approach 300 µg/m³ during the most severe episodes.

What are the main air pollution sources in Gonda?

Gonda's main pollution sources are: sugarcane mill emissions, agricultural burning, biomass burning, brick kilns. Like most Uttar Pradesh cities, the seasonal pattern is defined by agricultural burning cycles (kharif in October–November, rabi in April–May), year-round brick kiln operations during the dry season (October–April), and persistent biomass burning for domestic energy. The sugar mills activities add a distinctive industrial or agricultural dimension specific to Gonda.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities