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What is Air Quality Index (AQI)?

The air quality in any city is determined by the Air Quality Index (AQI). This indicator is developed by government agencies. To assess a city's AQI, various pollutants are considered. During the evaluation, the concentration of these pollutants in the air is measured. The AQI levels help inform people about whether air pollution is increasing or decreasing. Additionally, it is explained how air pollution can be harmful to people's health and in what ways. When the AQI rises, people are advised to take precautions, such as wearing masks outdoors and using air purifiers indoors.

Most Polluted City/States in India

Updated: August 13, 2026
Source : Central Pollution Control Board
Agartala Agra Ahmedabad Ahmednagar
Aizawl Ajmer Akola Alwar
Amaravati Ambala Amravati Amritsar
Anantapur Angul Ankleshwar Araria
Ariyalur Arrah Asansol Aurangabad
Aurangabad Aurangabad (bihar) Baddi Badlapur
Bagalkot Baghpat Baghpat Very Bahadurgarh
Balasore Ballabgarh Banswara Baran
Barbil Bareilly Baripada Barmer
Barrackpore Bathinda Begusarai Belapur
Belgaum Bengaluru Bettiah Bhagalpur
Bharatpur Bhilai Bhilwara Bhiwadi
Bhiwandi Bhiwani Bhopal Bhubaneswar
Bidar Bihar Sharif Bikaner Bilaspur
Bileipada Boisar Brajrajnagar Bulandshahr
Bulandshahr Very Bundi Buxar Byasanagar
Byrnihat Chamarajanagar Chandigarh Chandrapur
Charkhi Dadri Charkhi Dadri Very Chengalpattu Chennai
Chhal Chhapra Chikkaballapur Chikkamagaluru
Chittoor Chittorgarh Churu Coimbatore
Cuddalore Cuttack Damoh Dausa
Davanagere Dehradun Delhi Dewas
Dhanbad Dharuhera Dharwad Dholpur
Dhule Dindigul Dungarpur Durgapur
Eloor Faridabad Fatehabad Firozabad
Gadag Gandhinagar Gangtok Gaya
Ghaziabad Gorakhpur Greater Noida Gummidipoondi
Gurugram Guwahati Gwalior Hajipur
Haldia Hanumangarh Hapur Hapur Very
Hassan Haveri Hisar Hosur
Howrah Hubballi Hyderabad Imphal
Indore Jabalpur Jaipur Jaisalmer
Jalandhar Jalgaon Jalna Jalore
Jhalawar Jhansi Jhunjhunu Jind
Jodhpur Jorapokhar Kadapa Kaithal
Kalaburagi Kalyan Kanchipuram Kannur
Kanpur Karauli Karnal Karur
Karwar Kashipur Katihar Katni
Keonjhar Khanna Khurja Khurja Very
Kishanganj Kohima Kolar Kolhapur
Kolkata Kollam Koppal Korba
Kota Kunjemura Kurukshetra Latur
Lucknow Ludhiana Madikeri Madurai
Mahad Maihar Malegaon Mandi Gobindgarh
Mandideep Mandikhera Manesar Mangalore
Manguraha Meerut Meerut Very Milupara
Mira-bhayandar Moradabad Motihari Mumbai
Munger Muzaffarnagar Muzaffarnagar Very Muzaffarpur
Mysuru Nagaon Nagapattinam Nagaur
Nagpur Naharlagun Nalbari Namakkal
Nanded Nandesari Narnaul Nashik
Navi Mumbai Nayagarh Noida Ooty
Pali Palkalaiperur Palwal Panchgaon
Panchkula Panipat Parbhani Pathardih
Patiala Patna Perundurai Pimpri-chinchwad
Pithampur Pratapgarh Prayagraj Puducherry
Pudukottai Pune Purnia Raichur
Raipur Rairangpur Rajamahendravaram Rajgir
Rajsamand Ramanagara Ramanathapuram Ranipet
Ratlam Rishikesh Rohtak Rohtak Very
Rourkela Rupnagar Sagar Saharsa
Salem Samastipur Sangli Sasaram
Satna Sawai Madhopur Shillong Shivamogga
Sikar Silchar Siliguri Singrauli
Sirohi Sirsa Sivasagar Siwan
Solapur Sonipat Sri Ganganagar Sri Vijaya Puram
Suakati Surat Talcher Tensa
Thane Thanjavur Thiruvananthapuram Thoothukudi
Thrissur Tiruchirappalli Tirumala Tirunelveli
Tirupati Tirupur Tonk Tumakuru
Tumidih Udaipur Udupi Ujjain
Ulhasnagar Vapi Varanasi Vatva
Vellore Vijayapura Vijayawada Virar
Virudhunagar Visakhapatnam Vrindavan Yadgir
Yamuna Nagar
More Cities

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good AQI level?

A good AQI level is between 0 and 50, indicating air quality that poses little or no risk to health.

What is the safe range of AQI?

The safe range of AQI is from 0 to 100, covering the categories of "Good" (0-50) and "Moderate" (51-100).

What are the criteria for AQI?

AQI criteria include measuring the concentration of pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia over a specified averaging period.

What are the 8 parameters of AQI?

The 8 parameters of AQI are: Particulate Matter (PM10), Particulate Matter (PM2.5), Ozone (O3), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ammonia (NH3), and Lead (Pb).

How is AQI calculated?

AQI is calculated using pollutant concentration data, which is converted into an AQI value for each pollutant through specific formulae. The highest value among these is reported as the overall AQI for the location.

What are the 6 categories of AQI?

The 6 categories of AQI are: 0-50: Good 51-100: Moderate 101-200: Poor 201-300: Unhealthy 301-400: Severe 401-500+: Hazardous

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