Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh · Live air quality
You're looking at Varanasi's air right now — AQI 341, very poor, driven by PM2.5.
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Varanasi Air Quality Index (AQI) Today
Live air quality in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh — real-time AQI, dominant pollutant, PM2.5 & PM10 levels and a plain-English health advisory, computed from CPCB data.
No — Varanasi's AQI is 341 (Very Poor). Avoid outdoor activity, keep windows closed, run a purifier and wear an N95 mask outdoors.
Where 341 sits on the India CPCB scale
What you can do outside right now
General guidance by AQI band. Sensitive groups should act one level earlier.
Live pollutant levels
Each pollutant's 24-hour concentration is converted to a CPCB sub-index; the city AQI is the highest of them (the dominant pollutant). Bars show the sub-index out of 500.
What this air does to your body
Illustrative equivalences from published research (Berkeley Earth; Air Quality Life Index, University of Chicago). Not a medical assessment of your personal risk.
Monitoring stations in Varanasi
4 live CPCB stations, ranked worst air first. Each station's AQI is its own highest pollutant sub-index.
| Station | AQI | Category | PM2.5 | PM10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhelupur, Varanasi - UPPCB | 341 | Very Poor | 173 | 158 |
| Ardhali Bazar, Varanasi - UPPCB | 72 | Satisfactory | 43 | 58 |
| IESD Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi - UPPCB | 58 | Satisfactory | 34 | 51 |
| Maldahiya, Varanasi - UPPCB | 6 | Good | — | — |
Source: CPCB continuous ambient air-quality monitoring stations via data.gov.in. Station-level values are the latest hourly averages.
24-hour AQI graph
min 331 · max 342Hourly AQI recorded each hour by DailyAQI (local time). Fills to a rolling 24 hours.
7-day AQI trend
We're recording daily readings for this city — the 7-day trend chart fills in over the coming days as history accumulates.
Air quality calendar
A colour-coded calendar of daily air quality builds here as we record each day — check back as the month fills in.
Make it personal
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Alert me when the air turns unhealthy
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What Very Poor air means for you
May cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure; effects more pronounced for people with lung and heart disease.
Health guidance per CPCB National Air Quality Index bands. Informational only — not medical advice.
India's metro cities right now
AQI categories (India scale)
| AQI | Category | Associated health impact |
|---|---|---|
| 0–50 | Good | Air quality is considered satisfactory and air pollution poses little or no risk. |
| 51–100 | Satisfactory | Acceptable air quality; minor breathing discomfort possible for unusually sensitive people. |
| 101–200 | Moderate | May cause breathing discomfort to people with lung disease such as asthma, and to children and older adults. |
| 201–300 | Poor | May cause breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure. |
| 301–400 | Very Poor | May cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure; effects more pronounced for people with lung and heart disease. |
| 401–500 | Severe | Affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases; avoid outdoor activity. |
Monitoring location
Approximate location of the monitoring station(s) feeding this reading. Map © OpenStreetMap.
About air quality in Varanasi
This page tracks the Varanasi Air Quality Index using measurements from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) monitoring stations, published through the Government of India's open-data portal. The AQI is a single number from 0 to 500 that summarises how polluted the air is and what it means for health, based on the concentrations of key pollutants — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), coarse particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ground-level ozone (O₃), carbon monoxide (CO) and sulphur dioxide (SO₂).
Air quality in Varanasi changes through the day and across seasons. Levels are typically worse in the early morning and late evening when cooler, calmer air traps pollutants near the ground, and across North India they rise sharply in winter (roughly October to February) when temperature inversions, crop-residue burning and festival activity combine. Summer and the monsoon usually bring cleaner air as rain washes out particulates and stronger winds disperse them. Checking the current reading before outdoor exercise, a school run or a commute helps you decide whether to adjust timing, wear a mask, or keep windows closed.
We only display a number when a recent station reading exists — if you see "data updating", it means we are waiting on a fresh value rather than showing an estimate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the AQI in Varanasi today?
The current Air Quality Index in Varanasi is 341 (Very Poor) on the Indian CPCB scale, with PM2.5 as the dominant pollutant.
Is it safe to go outside in Varanasi today?
No — Varanasi's AQI is 341 (Very Poor). Avoid outdoor activity, keep windows closed, run a purifier and wear an N95 mask outdoors.
What is the main pollutant in Varanasi?
Today the dominant pollutant driving Varanasi's AQI is PM2.5. The full pollutant breakdown (PM2.5, PM10, NO₂, O₃, CO, SO₂) is listed above.
How is Varanasi's AQI calculated?
Each pollutant's 24-hour concentration is converted to a sub-index using CPCB breakpoints; the city AQI is the highest sub-index. See our methodology.