Shimla Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Shimla AQI Right Now

42

Category: Good

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 21.45 µg/m³

PM10: 41.87 µg/m³

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

Shimla Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.521.45 µg/m³
PM1041.87 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)45.94 µg/m³
NO₂11.75 µg/m³
SO₂2.62 µg/m³
CO215.41 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Shimla

Good: Minimal impact on health. Great day to be outdoors!

Health Impact — Shimla

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 1 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.07 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Shimla

  • General Population: Air quality is satisfactory. Enjoy outdoor activities.
  • Elderly: No special precautions needed.
  • Children: Great day for outdoor play.
  • Lung Disease Patients: No restrictions on outdoor activities.

Understanding Shimla Air Quality

Shimla, India's most elevated state capital at approximately 2,200 metres on a Western Himalayan ridge, benefits from some of the cleanest baseline air in the country thanks to altitude, pine and deodar forest cover, and distance from industrial centres. However, the former British summer capital faces unique localised pollution challenges created by its steep ridge-and-valley topography: while the ridge-top Mall Road area enjoys excellent wind-driven ventilation, valley settlements below (Sanjauli, Totu, Khalini) can experience trapped emissions during temperature inversions, especially on calm winter nights.

Winter months (November–February) see the worst air quality, driven by domestic heating - wood-burning stoves and kerosene heaters are widely used in homes that lack central heating. This creates visible smoke accumulation in valley pockets during early morning hours. Tourist vehicle congestion on Shimla's narrow, steep roads adds to the winter emission load, as does construction activity from the ongoing hotel and residential building boom. PM2.5 levels during peak winter months can occasionally reach 60–90 µg/m³ in congested valley areas, though ridge-top locations rarely exceed the Satisfactory threshold.

Pre-monsoon months (April–June) occasionally bring forest fire smoke from surrounding pine forests, which experience increasing fire frequency due to dry conditions and dropped pine needles. The monsoon (July–September) delivers heavy rainfall (1,500+ mm) that thoroughly cleanses the atmosphere, bringing consistently Good AQI. Shimla's air quality challenge is fundamentally one of topography and heating - solving it requires cleaner heating alternatives and traffic management rather than industrial regulation.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Construction dust
  • Domestic heating (wood, kerosene)
  • Tourism vehicle emissions
  • Road dust
  • Forest fire smoke (seasonal)

Geography: Western Himalayan ridge at ~2,200m elevation; former British summer capital, steep terrain limits dispersion in valleys, pine forest setting

Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February

Frequently Asked Questions — Shimla

What is the most polluted month in Shimla?

December and January are the most polluted months in Shimla, though pollution levels remain low by Indian standards. Valley settlements like Sanjauli and Totu may see AQI readings in the Moderate range (NAQI 100–150) during calm winter mornings when wood-smoke from domestic heating gets trapped by temperature inversions. Ridge-top areas remain cleaner.

What causes air pollution in Shimla?

Shimla's modest pollution comes from domestic wood and kerosene heating in winter, tourist vehicle congestion on narrow hill roads, construction dust from rapid building activity, and occasional forest fire smoke from surrounding pine forests. The steep ridge-valley topography creates localised pollution traps in lower settlements while the ridge top remains well-ventilated.

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