Meerut Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Meerut AQI Right Now

264

Category: Poor

Dominant Pollutant: pm25

PM2.5: 109.2 µg/m³

PM10: 271.5 µg/m³

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

Meerut Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.5109.2 µg/m³
PM10271.5 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)20.75 µg/m³
NO₂46.07 µg/m³
SO₂6.47 µg/m³
CO1196.91 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Meerut

Poor: Breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure.

Recommendation: Sensitive groups (children, elderly, people with respiratory conditions) should limit outdoor exposure.

Warning: Everyone should avoid prolonged outdoor activities. Keep windows closed and use air purifiers if available.

Health Impact — Meerut

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

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.64 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Meerut

  • General Population: Everyone should reduce prolonged outdoor exertion.
  • Elderly: Avoid outdoor activities. Stay indoors.
  • Children: Avoid outdoor play and exertion.
  • Lung Disease Patients: Stay indoors. Keep windows closed.

Understanding Meerut Air Quality

Meerut, one of the oldest and largest cities in western Uttar Pradesh, sits squarely in the Upper Doab - the fertile alluvial plain between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. As part of the National Capital Region (NCR) extended airshed, Meerut's air quality is intimately linked to the same weather patterns and agricultural burning cycles that plague Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Noida, located just 70 km to the southwest.

October and November are the worst months, coinciding with the kharif crop residue burning season in the surrounding sugar-cane and rice belt. Stubble fires in Meerut, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, and Shamli districts create a dense smoke layer that pushes AQI above 300 on the worst days. The flat terrain offers zero topographic barrier to smoke transport. Winter inversions from December through January compound the problem, with PM2.5 readings routinely exceeding 200 µg/m³ in the dense old-city areas.

Meerut's unique industrial profile - it is India's largest manufacturer of scissors, sports goods, and musical instruments - adds localised emissions from thousands of small metal-working and leather-processing workshops in Sardhana Road and Hapur Road areas. The Delhi-Meerut Expressway, while reducing transit times, has increased heavy vehicle traffic through the city's periphery. The monsoon (July–September) provides the only extended period of clean air.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Crop residue burning (adjoining western UP)
  • Industrial emissions (scissors, sports goods manufacturing)
  • Road and construction dust
  • Waste burning
  • Brick kilns

Geography: Upper Gangetic Plain between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers; flat terrain, part of the NCR extended airshed, highly fertile agricultural belt

Peak pollution months: October, November, December, January

Frequently Asked Questions — Meerut

Is Meerut's air quality as bad as Delhi?

During peak stubble-burning season (October–November), Meerut's AQI can be similar to or even worse than Delhi's, reaching Severe levels (400+). It shares the same NCR airshed and crop-burning patterns. On an annual basis, Meerut's average is comparable to Ghaziabad - among the most polluted cities in India.

What industries cause pollution in Meerut?

Meerut is India's hub for scissors, sports goods (cricket bats, balls), and musical instruments. The thousands of small workshops involve metal cutting, forging, painting, and leather processing that generate metallic PM, VOCs, and chemical fumes, particularly in the Sardhana Road and Hapur Road industrial clusters.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities