Varanasi Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Varanasi AQI Right Now

155

Category: Moderate

Dominant Pollutant: pm25

PM2.5: 76.22 µg/m³

PM10: 76.22 µg/m³

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

Varanasi Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.576.22 µg/m³
PM1076.22 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)4.77 µg/m³
NO₂12.71 µg/m³
SO₂8.17 µg/m³
CO410.04 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Varanasi

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

Recommendation: Sensitive groups (children, elderly, people with respiratory conditions) should limit outdoor exposure.

Health Impact — Varanasi

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 3.5 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.43 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Varanasi

  • 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 Varanasi Air Quality

Varanasi, one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities and Hinduism's holiest pilgrimage centre, faces unique air quality challenges rooted in its ancient character. The dense labyrinth of narrow lanes (galis) in the old city - stretching from Assi Ghat to Manikarnika Ghat - creates an urban canyon effect where vehicle and cooking emissions accumulate with minimal dispersion. The Ganga's crescent bend around the city creates a moisture-rich microclimate that enhances fog formation.

October through January represents the worst period, mirroring the broader Indo-Gangetic Plain pattern. Post-kharif crop residue burning from surrounding Jaunpur, Chandauli, and Ghazipur districts combines with the city's own emission sources. PM2.5 levels routinely exceed 200 µg/m³, with dense morning fog trapping pollutants at ground level. A distinctive source unique to Varanasi is the cremation ghats - particularly Manikarnika and Harishchandra - where wood pyres burn continuously, contributing fine particulates, CO, and PAHs to the ambient air in the ghat corridor.

The Varanasi riverfront's thousands of diesel tourist boats, temple incense burning, and the smoke from evening Ganga Aarti ceremonies add to the ambient load. The ongoing Kashi Vishwanath corridor redevelopment has created localised construction dust. The monsoon (July–September, ~1,000 mm) provides the best air quality. The city's flat Gangetic Plain location and high groundwater table mean zero natural topographic advantage for pollution dispersion.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Cremation ghats (wood burning)
  • Domestic biomass burning
  • Crop residue burning (surrounding districts)
  • Road and construction dust
  • Diesel generators and boats

Geography: On the crescent bend of the Ganga River in eastern UP; dense ancient city core with narrow galis, low-lying Gangetic floodplain

Peak pollution months: October, November, December, January

Frequently Asked Questions — Varanasi

Do cremation ghats significantly affect Varanasi's air quality?

The cremation ghats (especially Manikarnika, which burns 80+ pyres daily) contribute measurably to localised PM2.5, carbon monoxide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Studies show air quality within 200m of active cremation ghats is 20–40% worse than the city average. The impact is mostly localised to the ghat corridor rather than city-wide.

How bad is Varanasi's winter pollution compared to Delhi?

Varanasi's winter AQI is comparable to Delhi's - both are in the Gangetic Plain's PM2.5 hotspot zone. Peak readings (November) can exceed 350+ simultaneous with Delhi's worst days. Varanasi's smaller size means the polluted zone is more compact, but concentrations per area can be equally severe due to the dense old-city fabric.

Air Quality in Nearby Cities