Bareilly Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Bareilly AQI Right Now

70

Category: Satisfactory

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 29.22 µg/m³

PM10: 69.73 µg/m³

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

Bareilly Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.529.22 µg/m³
PM1069.73 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)6.07 µg/m³
NO₂9.04 µg/m³
SO₂15.71 µg/m³
CO749.67 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Bareilly

Satisfactory: Minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.

Health Impact — Bareilly

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 1.3 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.12 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Bareilly

  • 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 Bareilly Air Quality

Bareilly, historically known as the capital of Rohilkhand and today celebrated as India's furniture and zari (metallic embroidery thread) capital, grapples with air pollution levels that rival Delhi during the worst winter weeks. The city's sprawling furniture manufacturing sector - thousands of workshops and sawmills concentrated in Izzat Nagar, Civil Lines, and the old city - generates persistent wood dust, sawdust, and lacquer fumes that give Bareilly a distinctive pollution signature among UP cities.

Winter months (October–January) bring dangerously poor air quality as the flat Gangetic terrain, devoid of any topographic barriers, allows crop residue burning smoke from Punjab, Haryana, and western UP's own sugarcane fields to blanket the city. Temperature inversions compress this smoke layer with local emissions from vehicle exhaust, brick kilns on the Rampur Road periphery, and widespread domestic biomass cooking fires. PM2.5 concentrations frequently exceed 250 µg/m³ in November and December, with the NAQI hitting Severe (400+) during peak episodes. The sugarcane mills that operate during the crushing season (November–April) add bagasse-burning emissions to the mix.

Monsoon relief (July–September) is substantial, with rainfall scrubbing the atmosphere down to Good or Satisfactory AQI levels. Summer months bring moderate dust from unpaved roads and construction activity. Bareilly's position as a railway junction and its location on National Highway 24 ensure constant heavy vehicle traffic, contributing diesel soot year-round. The city's rapid urbanisation without proportionate green cover expansion has worsened its air quality trajectory over the past decade.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Furniture and wood processing industry
  • Crop residue burning
  • Road dust
  • Brick kilns
  • Domestic biomass burning

Geography: Rohilkhand region of western Uttar Pradesh; flat Gangetic Plain, major furniture manufacturing hub, surrounded by sugarcane belt

Peak pollution months: October, November, December, January

Frequently Asked Questions — Bareilly

How does the wood and furniture industry affect Bareilly's air quality?

Bareilly's vast furniture manufacturing sector - encompassing thousands of sawmills, carpentry workshops, and wood-finishing units - releases fine wood dust (PM10 and PM2.5), sawdust particles, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from lacquers, polishes, and adhesives. These workshops are often located in dense residential areas, directly exposing nearby populations. Wood dust is a recognised respiratory irritant and potential carcinogen with prolonged exposure.

Why does Bareilly match Delhi-level pollution in winter?

Bareilly sits on the same flat Indo-Gangetic Plain as Delhi and shares identical meteorological conditions during winter: temperature inversions, low wind speeds, and exposure to crop burning smoke from Punjab, Haryana, and western UP. Its own significant local sources - furniture industry dust, brick kilns, biomass burning, and sugarcane field residue - add to this regional pollution load, producing AQI readings that frequently match or exceed Delhi's during November–January.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities