Hardoi Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Hardoi AQI Right Now

311

Category: Very Poor

Dominant Pollutant: pm25

PM2.5: 133.27 µg/m³

PM10: 133.27 µg/m³

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

Hardoi Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.5133.27 µg/m³
PM10133.27 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)13.06 µg/m³
NO₂20.06 µg/m³
SO₂5.38 µg/m³
CO720.48 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Hardoi

Very Poor: Respiratory illness on prolonged exposure. Effect may be felt even in healthy people.

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 — Hardoi

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 6.1 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.8 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Hardoi

  • General Population: Avoid all outdoor physical activities.
  • Elderly: Stay indoors. Use air purifier if available.
  • Children: Keep children indoors.
  • Lung Disease Patients: Stay indoors. Use air purifier. Keep medication handy.

Understanding Hardoi Air Quality

Hardoi, in Hardoi 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 Hardoi 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 Gomti and Sai rivers 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

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

Geography: central UP Gomti basin; large agricultural district; sugar mills and paddy mills; historic Lucknow-Bareilly road corridor

Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February

Frequently Asked Questions — Hardoi

When is air quality worst in Hardoi?

Air quality in Hardoi is at its worst during November through February, when winter temperature inversions over the Gangetic Plain trap emissions from agricultural burning, biomass 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 Hardoi?

Hardoi's main pollution sources are: agricultural burning, biomass burning, brick kilns, sugarcane mill emissions. 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 agriculture activities add a distinctive industrial or agricultural dimension specific to Hardoi.

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