Kanpur’s AQI crosses 300 as smog blankets the city

Kanpur’s air quality index has crossed 300, placing the city firmly in the “severe” bracket, according to the Times of India. The city woke up under a blanket of smog, and live readings swung anywhere between 222 and 294 points depending on the outlet and the hour. The index is expected to climb further.

AQI, or Air Quality Index, squeezes a tangle of pollutants into one readable number. The scale starts at zero and rises, and the higher the figure, the worse the air. NDTV’s tracker put Kanpur at 294 and labelled that reading severe. The Times of India said the index had breached 300 and was likely to deteriorate further. Dainik Bhaskar logged 222 points across the day, noting smog in the morning and bad air throughout. Even the lowest of the three readings, 222, falls inside the “poor” band of the national scale.

What the numbers say

The breakdown matters more than Kanpur’s headline AQI. According to NDTV’s live sensor data, the dominant pollutant is PM2.5 at 194 micrograms per cubic metre, followed by PM10 at 176.67. The rest of the mix reads NO2 24, SO2 2.67, O3 9.33, and CO 19. These are the ingredients that make the sky look hazy and the air taste metallic before sunrise. Both readings sit well above India’s ambient standards, which is why the index keeps landing in the poor-to-severe range.

PM2.5 particles are smaller than 2.5 micrometres across, about a thirtieth the width of a human hair. They slip past the body’s filters and settle deep in the lungs. PM10 is coarser dust, usually kicked up by traffic and construction, but it stays dangerous when it lingers this long in the air.

Why the readings swing

One city showing three different numbers in a day is normal, if confusing. The index moves with the clock. Vehicle emissions peak during the morning rush, daytime winds clear some of the load, and smog re-settles after dark. A monitor near a busy road, or sampling at a different hour, will throw up a steeper figure like 294. The gap between 222 and 294 is the difference between a quiet neighbourhood lane and a choked intersection at peak hour.

Weather decides how much of this gets flushed out. India Today’s live Kanpur forecast tracks wind speed, humidity and rain probability, the variables that determine whether pollutants drift away or stay parked overhead. On calm, humid mornings, smog hangs in place and the index climbs. When rain arrives, particles wash out of the sky and the numbers drop. On a dry, windy afternoon, the same city can log a reading a hundred points lower than its morning peak.

The two pollutants doing the damage

Of everything in Kanpur’s air, PM2.5 is the one doctors watch closest. At 194 µg/m³, it is more than three times the Indian 24-hour standard of 60 µg/m³. Prolonged exposure at these levels worsens asthma, bronchitis and heart conditions. PM10 at 176.67 also exceeds the 100 µg/m³ standard. Neither pollutant needs a dramatic weather event to spike; they build up from everyday sources like diesel exhaust, brick kilns, crop residue burning and the dusty roads of a growing city. The jump from 222 to above 300 happened within the span of a single reporting day.

Will it get better

The Times of India expects the index to worsen before it improves. Cooler autumn and winter nights trap a layer of warm air near the ground, locking in smoke and dust until the sun burns it off. Until wind speeds pick up or rain arrives, both tracked on the city’s daily forecast, the severe label is likely to recur. For now, the morning view from any rooftop stays a grey blanket.