Pilibhit Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Pilibhit AQI Right Now

81

Category: Satisfactory

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 29.94 µg/m³

PM10: 80.44 µg/m³

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

Pilibhit Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.529.94 µg/m³
PM1080.44 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)3.8 µg/m³
NO₂10.11 µg/m³
SO₂13.57 µg/m³
CO695 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Pilibhit

Satisfactory: Minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.

Health Impact — Pilibhit

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 1.4 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.13 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Pilibhit

  • 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 Pilibhit Air Quality

Pilibhit, in Pilibhit 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 Pilibhit 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 Sharda River (Sarada/Sarda) 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
  • Sugarcane mill emissions
  • Biomass burning
  • Brick kilns
  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Road dust

Geography: Nepal Terai border; Flute Capital of India (GI tag); Pilibhit Tiger Reserve adjacent; Sharda River; sugarcane and paddy

Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February

Frequently Asked Questions — Pilibhit

When is air quality worst in Pilibhit?

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

Pilibhit's main pollution sources are: agricultural burning, sugarcane mill emissions, biomass burning, brick kilns. 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 flute manufacturing (80% of India's flutes) activities add a distinctive industrial or agricultural dimension specific to Pilibhit.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities