The Story
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India · Tier 1
645 days · 2024–2026 · 5 sensors
Moderate confidenceSeasonal historical data — not for today's readings. For current air quality: IQAir ↗ · Methodology →
Independent modelled estimate for reference. Our data uses station sensors which may cover different years and locations. Methodology →
Berkeley Earth conversion: 22.0 µg/m³ PM2.5 ≈ 1 cigarette/day. This compares population-level mortality risk, not individual clinical outcomes. Acute vs chronic exposure differs significantly.
AQLI methodology: each 10 µg/m³ PM2.5 above WHO baseline (5.0 µg/m³) ≈ 0.98 years of life expectancy lost. Calculated from annual mean PM2.5 (long-term exposure), not annual median.
24-hour pattern from the most recent 7 days of hourly data. Dimmed arcs are unsafe for the selected activity.
This is a short-term trend view (not live minute-by-minute monitoring).
How does the air here compare to other health risks — and to peer cities?
Every day of the year, colored by PM2.5 air quality band.
The baseline view is No mask. You can switch to Surgical, KN95, or N95 to see a planning range for mask-adjusted exposure. Smoking-aware mode is optional and off by default.
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Diwali pyrotechnics combined with Punjab/Haryana post-harvest stubble burning peak simultaneously
Affects: Oct, Nov
Cold air mass + low wind traps vehicle, industrial and biomass burning emissions in the Indo-Gangetic Plain
Affects: Dec, Jan, Feb
Southwest monsoon suppresses dust and washes particulates
Affects: Jun, Jul, Aug
Westerly winds carry Rajasthan desert dust
Affects: Mar, Apr, May
Delhi residents lose an estimated 10.1 years of life expectancy on average due to PM2.5 air pollution — compared to living in a city that meets WHO air quality guidelines.
Each bar shows estimated life-years lost due to that risk factor. The orange bar is Delhi. Gray bars are risk comparisons.
Source: AQLI methodology — each 10 µg/m³ above the WHO 5 µg/m³ baseline ≈ 0.98 life-years lost. Population-level statistical estimates, not individual predictions. Methodology →
Tip: tap a day cell to pin details, tap outside to close.
All-years view shows the median across available years per calendar day. Individual year views show actual measured values. Methodology →
Smoking-aware mode is optional. Turn it on only if you want combined smoking + air burden estimates.
Berkeley Earth conversion: 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 ≈ 1 cigarette/day. Statistical communication tool — not a clinical diagnosis.
Planning estimate from monthly median PM2.5 values. Air-equivalent burden is additive and does not replace smoking burden.
Based on monthly median PM2.5 values. Actual exposure varies by fit, wear time, location, activity, and daily conditions. Methodology →
Section 1 of 6 · Air quality story
The WHO 2021 annual PM2.5 guideline is 5 µg/m³. Long-term exposure above this threshold is linked to cardiovascular and respiratory disease.
Section 2 of 6 · Health toll
Even if you never light one.
Berkeley Earth cigarette equivalence: 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 ≈ 1 cigarette/day. AQLI life-years: statistical population-level estimate, not individual prediction. Methodology →
Section 3 of 6 · Seasonal rhythm
Each autumn, three forces converge over the Indo-Gangetic Plain simultaneously. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana burn millions of acres of post-harvest crop stubble. Diwali fireworks add a concentrated particulate spike. Then winter cold settles in: low wind speeds, temperature inversions, a meteorological lid that traps Delhi's own vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions. November median in our dataset: 250.6 µg/m³. Not elevated—catastrophic. Every single day in November recorded Hazardous PM2.5. The cigarette equivalence on a median November day is 11 cigarettes. December and January are nearly as severe at 216 and 215 µg/m³.
= Winter Smog Season · Bars show monthly median PM2.5
Section 4 of 6 · Seasonal risk profile
Each card shows the monthly median PM2.5 and the share of days safe for outdoor jogging.
Section 5 of 6 · The contrast
Delhi's seasonal range is the widest in our dataset. August median—the city's best month—is 37 µg/m³: already Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups by WHO standards. November median is 250.6 µg/m³. The gap is 6.7×. In any other city we track, August-level air would be cause for concern. In Delhi, it is the breathing window. The critical insight: Delhi has no months that meet WHO PM2.5 guidelines. The monsoon offers relative relief—not clean air.
Section 6 of 6 · Your window
Delhi has no months that meet WHO PM2.5 guidelines (15 µg/m³ annual target). The goal here is harm reduction: finding the months where air is merely bad rather than crisis-level.
Risk levels derived from historical seasonal medians · Methodology →