Nagpur Air Quality (AQI)
Maharashtra, India · Orange City · India's Geographic Center
Monthly AQI — Nagpur
Annual average AQI ~98. Clear seasonal pattern: monsoon (Jul–Sep) AQI 45–68, winter (Dec–Feb) AQI 138–155. Summer (Apr–May) AQI elevated by dust and industrial sources.
Coal Power, Cotton Dust, and Nagpur's Pollution Mix
Nagpur sits at India's geographic center, the junction of the country's national highway network and close to the Vidarbha coalfields. The Koradi Thermal Power Station (east of the city) and Khaperkheda TPS (north) are significant regional PM2.5 and SO₂ sources. Both burn Vidarbha coal — relatively high-ash coal that produces more fly ash per unit of energy than cleaner grades.
The Vidarbha region is also India's main cotton growing belt. Cotton ginning and processing generates textile dust (byssinosis risk) and agricultural burning of cotton stalks contributes to post-harvest PM2.5 spikes. This agricultural burning season (October–November) partly explains Nagpur's autumn AQI deterioration.
Unlike Mumbai and Pune, Nagpur has no coastal or mountain proximity to provide natural atmospheric ventilation. The city's summer air quality is complicated by extreme heat (India's highest average summer temperatures) that desiccates surface soils, generating dust particles. The Loo — a hot dry wind from the northwest — carries fine dust particles in April–May.