Prayagraj Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Prayagraj AQI Right Now

60

Category: Satisfactory

Dominant Pollutant: pm10

PM2.5: 21.91 µg/m³

PM10: 59.61 µg/m³

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

Prayagraj Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.521.91 µg/m³
PM1059.61 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)5.78 µg/m³
NO₂13.73 µg/m³
SO₂14.33 µg/m³
CO444.78 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Prayagraj

Satisfactory: Minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.

Health Impact — Prayagraj

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 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 0.08 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Prayagraj

  • 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 Prayagraj Air Quality

Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), one of India's holiest cities and a major administrative centre in Uttar Pradesh, occupies a low-lying position at the sacred confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. This riverine geography, while spiritually significant, creates challenging air quality conditions as moist river air combines with winter inversions to trap pollutants in a dense, humid layer.

October through January marks the worst air quality period. Post-kharif crop burning in the surrounding wheat-rice belt of Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, and Fatehpur districts sends smoke plumes directly into the city. PM2.5 levels routinely exceed 200 µg/m³ during peak burning events, with the flat Gangetic Plain offering zero topographic barriers to smoke transport. The city's dense civil-lines and old-Allahabad areas, with narrow roads and high two-wheeler density, add concentrated vehicular emissions. Domestic wood and cow-dung cake burning for winter heating remains widespread in peri-urban areas.

During the Magh Mela and Kumbh Mela periods, the massive temporary city erected on the Sangam floodplain generates significant emissions from cooking fires, diesel generators, and dust from unpaved tent-city roads. The monsoon (July–September) provides the best air quality, with heavy rainfall of 1,000+ mm annually washing out pollutants. Post-monsoon October can briefly be clean before stubble-burning season begins.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Crop residue burning (surrounding districts)
  • Domestic biomass burning
  • Construction dust
  • Road dust
  • Open waste burning

Geography: Confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers (Triveni Sangam); low-lying Gangetic floodplain, flat terrain with high humidity

Peak pollution months: October, November, December, January

Frequently Asked Questions — Prayagraj

How does Kumbh Mela affect Prayagraj's air quality?

During Kumbh and Magh Mela events, the temporary tent city housing millions of pilgrims on the Sangam floodplain generates significant emissions from wood/dung cooking fires, thousands of diesel generators, and dust from foot traffic on unpaved paths. Localised AQI near the Mela grounds can spike 30–50% above city-average levels.

Why is Prayagraj so polluted in winter?

Prayagraj's position on the low-lying Gangetic floodplain at the river confluence creates heavy fog and inversions that trap emissions. Combined with crop residue burning from surrounding districts and widespread domestic biomass combustion for heating, winter PM2.5 levels routinely exceed 200 µg/m³.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities