Sehore Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Sehore AQI Right Now

123

Category: Moderate

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 46.03 µg/m³

PM10: 133.52 µg/m³

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

Sehore Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.546.03 µg/m³
PM10133.52 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)37.76 µg/m³
NO₂18.35 µg/m³
SO₂5.75 µg/m³
CO432.68 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Sehore

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

Health Impact — Sehore

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 2.1 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.23 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Sehore

  • 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 Sehore Air Quality

Sehore, located just 40 kilometres west of Bhopal on the Malwa Plateau, is the agricultural heartland of Madhya Pradesh's soybean empire. The district is one of India's top soybean producers, and the city hosts numerous solvent extraction plants and oil mills that process the harvest from October through March. These soybean processing facilities generate hexane vapours, organic particulates, and boiler emissions that give Sehore a distinctive agro-industrial pollution profile distinct from the state capital nearby.

Winter months (November–February) concentrate Sehore's pollution sources under temperature inversions that settle over the flat Malwa terrain. Post-harvest soybean stubble burning across the vast surrounding farmlands creates a smoke layer visible from Bhopal, while processing plants run at full capacity. Vehicle traffic on NH-46 connecting Bhopal to Indore passes through Sehore's congested town centre, adding diesel exhaust and road dust. The Sevania River's reduced winter flow provides little atmospheric moisture to aid particle settlement. PM2.5 during peak episodes reaches 90–140 µg/m³, comparable to Bhopal's readings on bad days.

Monsoon months (July–September) bring dramatic improvement as the Malwa Plateau receives ample rainfall. Soybean fields turn vivid green, dust is suppressed, and processing plants operate at reduced capacity before the new harvest arrives. Air quality typically stays in the Good to Satisfactory range. The pre-monsoon summer (April–June) sees moderate dust from exposed farmland between the rabi harvest and monsoon onset, with occasional dust storms from the Rajasthan side pushing PM10 higher.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Soybean processing emissions
  • Agricultural burning
  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Road dust
  • Domestic biomass burning

Geography: Malwa Plateau west of Bhopal; agricultural district headquarters known as Madhya Pradesh's soybean capital, Sevania River basin

Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February

Frequently Asked Questions — Sehore

How does soybean processing affect Sehore's air quality?

Sehore's numerous solvent extraction plants and oil mills process soybeans using hexane-based extraction, releasing organic vapours and particulates. Boilers at these plants burn biomass or coal, producing SO2 and fine PM2.5. During peak processing season (October–March), these facilities operate continuously, creating a measurable industrial component in the town's air quality readings that distinguishes it from purely agricultural communities.

Does Sehore receive pollution from Bhopal?

Sehore lies 40 km west of Bhopal and is generally upwind of the state capital during prevailing weather patterns. However, easterly winds during certain weather conditions can carry some Bhopal and Mandideep industrial emissions towards Sehore. More significantly, the NH-46 highway corridor between the two cities creates a shared vehicle exhaust burden, and agricultural burning smoke affects both cities simultaneously during winter.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities