Kharagpur Air Quality Index (AQI) & Air Pollution Today

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

Kharagpur AQI Right Now

80

Category: Satisfactory

Dominant Pollutant: pm25

PM2.5: 47.9 µg/m³

PM10: 70.91 µg/m³

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

Kharagpur Pollutant Levels

PollutantConcentration
PM2.547.9 µg/m³
PM1070.91 µg/m³
O₃ (Ozone)19.2 µg/m³
NO₂12.66 µg/m³
SO₂3.11 µg/m³
CO662.33 µg/m³

Health Advisory — Kharagpur

Satisfactory: Minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people.

Health Impact — Kharagpur

Cigarette Equivalent: Breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 2.2 cigarettes per day (based on current PM2.5 levels).

Life Expectancy Impact: Sustained exposure at this PM2.5 level could reduce life expectancy by 0.25 years (AQLI estimate, relative to WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³).

Health Recommendations for Kharagpur

  • 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 Kharagpur Air Quality

Kharagpur, home to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Kharagpur) — India's first IIT — is a significant railway junction town in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district. The Kharagpur railway yard, one of the world's longest railway platforms, handles massive freight and passenger traffic on the Howrah-Chennai route, with diesel locomotive emissions contributing substantially to local PM levels. The surrounding laterite soil terrain generates distinctive red dust that becomes a persistent air quality issue during dry months.

Winter months (November–February) bring the worst air quality as temperature inversions trap railway yard emissions, vehicular exhaust, and brick kiln smoke in a shallow atmospheric layer. The Kangsabati River basin's flat terrain offers minimal topographic aid in dispersing pollutants. Brick kilns on the town's outskirts operate intensively during this season, producing fly ash and fine particulates. Morning fog combines with pollution to create dense haze events.

The monsoon season (June–September) delivers excellent atmospheric cleansing, with rainfall exceeding 1,400mm. The IIT campus, with its extensive tree cover and lakes, provides a local green lung that benefits adjacent areas. Kharagpur's moderate size and distance from heavy industrial zones mean it avoids the severe pollution experienced by the Asansol-Durgapur belt. However, growing commercial activity and increasing vehicular traffic are gradually raising baseline pollution levels in this education and railway hub.

Primary Pollution Sources

  • Vehicle exhaust
  • Railway yard emissions
  • Road dust
  • Construction dust
  • Brick kilns
  • Waste burning

Geography: West Midnapore district; home to IIT Kharagpur, major railway junction on Howrah-Chennai line, laterite soil terrain

Peak pollution months: November, December, January, February

Frequently Asked Questions — Kharagpur

What are the main pollution sources in Kharagpur?

Kharagpur's primary pollution sources include emissions from its busy railway junction (diesel locomotives and yard operations), vehicular exhaust from road traffic, laterite road dust from the surrounding terrain, periurban brick kiln emissions during winter, and construction dust from ongoing development. The railway yard's continuous operations create a baseline industrial emission source year-round.

When is the best time for clean air in Kharagpur?

July through September during the monsoon offers the cleanest air, with over 1,400mm of rainfall suppressing dust and clearing pollutants. AQI typically remains in the Good to Satisfactory range. November through January sees the worst conditions due to winter inversions and brick kiln operations.

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