How to Find the AQI of Your City in India - Live Air Quality Today

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a simple number that tells you how clean or polluted the air is right now. Instead of reading separate readings for dust, smoke, and gases, AQI combines key pollutants into one score so you can decide quickly whether it is safe to exercise outdoors, send children to play, or keep windows open.

In India, many apps and government dashboards use either the US EPA scale (0-500)or India's National Air Quality Index. On the US scale, 0-50 is good, 51-100 is moderate, and anything above 150 means even healthy adults should limit long outdoor exertion. During North India's winter smog, AQI in cities like Delhi and Ghaziabad often sits in the "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy" bands for days at a time.

AQI is usually driven by PM2.5 and PM10 in urban areas, especially in winter when crop burning and weather traps smoke over the Indo-Gangetic plain.

AQI is split into colour-coded categories from good to hazardous. Each band has a number range and a plain-language health message. Use this table to understand what today's reading means for you and your family.

When AQI is above 100, people with asthma, children, and seniors should reduce outdoor time. When it is above 200, everyone should avoid strenuous outdoor activity and consider N95/N99 masks if you must go out.

PM2.5 means particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres - about thirty times thinner than a human hair. These fine particles come from vehicle exhaust, coal and biomass burning, construction dust, and industrial smoke. Because they are so small, they bypass your nose and throat and reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream.

Long-term exposure to high PM2.5 is linked to asthma, heart disease, and reduced lung function. In Delhi NCR, PM2.5 is usually the main reason AQI jumps into the red during October-January. When you check "what is the AQI of your city," the PM2.5 number (in µg/m³) is often the most important figure on the screen.

• Good air day: PM2.5 roughly under 12 µg/m³ (AQI 0-50 on US scale).
• Poor air day in NCR: PM2.5 can exceed 150-250 µg/m³ when smog is severe.
• What to do: Use air purifiers indoors, close windows at peak hours, and wear a well-fitted N95 mask outdoors.

PM10 refers to particles up to 10 micrometres in size - still invisible, but larger than PM2.5. Common sources include road dust, construction sites, unpaved roads, pollen, and grinding or crushing activity. PM10 irritates the eyes, nose, and throat and worsens breathing problems, but it does not penetrate as deeply into the lungs as PM2.5.

On many polluted days in India, both PM10 and PM2.5 are elevated. A high PM10 reading with moderate PM2.5 might mean more dust and sand in the air; very high PM2.5 with high PM10 often signals smoke from vehicles, garbage burning, or crop residue. Checking both on your city's AQI page gives a fuller picture than looking at a single headline number.

If only PM10 is high, reducing outdoor sweeping, construction exposure, and driving on dusty roads can help. If PM2.5 dominates, regional smog and combustion sources are usually the cause - the same conditions that make headlines about Delhi AQI and NCR pollution.

To find the AQI of your city, use a trusted monitor near you - government stations (CPCB), SAFAR for metro cities, or open data platforms such as OpenAQ that aggregate official sensors. On this site, pick your city from the list above to see a live-style reading with PM2.5, PM10, and the health category for today.

We currently cover four high-pollution North Indian cities: Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Lucknow. Each page answers questions like "what is the AQI in Delhi today?" and "how does Noida compare to Delhi?" with local context for wellness and outdoor planning.

People search for the AQI of their city most often when smoke and haze return every winter. The Delhi NCR belt sits in the Indo-Gangetic plain, where emissions from millions of vehicles, construction, power plants, and industry build up year-round. In October and November, crop-residue burning in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh adds a thick layer of smoke.

Cooler nights and slow winds trap pollutants close to the ground - a temperature inversion- so AQI stays unhealthy for days. That is why questions like "why is AQI so high in Delhi?" and "has Delhi AQI reached 700?" spike in search every year. Our city pages explain local causes and link to today's numbers so you can act on facts, not fear.