Air quality
Air quality in Dhanbad today
Updated
Unhealthy (US AQI 152) Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. Model estimate for Sun, Oct 25, 11:30 pm (18:00 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 152 Unhealthy
- PM2.5
- 73 µg/m³ 4.8× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 77 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 61 µg/m³
- Dominant pollutant
- PM2.5 sub-index 152
- Best hour today
- 4:30 pm AQI 150
- European AQI
- 71
Air quality in Dhanbad right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India is 152, which falls in the "Unhealthy" band (up to 200). Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed.
The index is driven mainly by PM2.5, whose own sub-index is 152. Fine and coarse particles come from traffic, heating, industry, dust and smoke; they build up on calm nights and clear when wind or rain arrives.
PM2.5 is 73 µg/m³, 4.8 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 77 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 61 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 39 µg/m³ (above the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Also this hour: sulphur dioxide at 134 µg/m³, carbon monoxide 365 µg/m³.
Dhanbad AQI forecast: next 48 hours
Over the next 24 hours the AQI is forecast to range from 150 around Mon 4:30 pm to 152 around Sun 11:30 pm, from "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" at best to "Unhealthy" at worst.
The following day looks similar, averaging about 152.
| Local time (Asia/Kolkata) | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ | PM10 µg/m³ | Ozone µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 11:30 pm | 152 | Unhealthy | 72.6 | 77 | 61 |
| Mon 2:30 am | 152 | Unhealthy | 66.8 | 72 | 60 |
| Mon 5:30 am | 152 | Unhealthy | 61.7 | 67 | 56 |
| Mon 8:30 am | 151 | Unhealthy | 48.1 | 53 | 108 |
| Mon 11:30 am | 151 | Unhealthy | 37.3 | 44 | 165 |
| Mon 2:30 pm | 151 | Unhealthy | 34.9 | 41 | 159 |
| Mon 5:30 pm | 150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 59.6 | 66 | 89 |
| Mon 8:30 pm | 151 | Unhealthy | 86.4 | 93 | 54 |
| Mon 11:30 pm | 152 | Unhealthy | 75.2 | 81 | 61 |
| Tue 2:30 am | 152 | Unhealthy | 65.9 | 71 | 66 |
| Tue 5:30 am | 152 | Unhealthy | 59.6 | 64 | 71 |
| Tue 8:30 am | 152 | Unhealthy | 51.5 | 56 | 112 |
| Tue 11:30 am | 153 | Unhealthy | 40.5 | 44 | 172 |
| Tue 2:30 pm | 153 | Unhealthy | 34.8 | 37 | 173 |
| Tue 5:30 pm | 153 | Unhealthy | 54.9 | 57 | 96 |
| Tue 8:30 pm | 152 | Unhealthy | 73.3 | 75 | 52 |
| Tue 11:30 pm | 152 | Unhealthy | 79.9 | 81 | 31 |
Every third hour of the CAMS forecast via Open-Meteo. US AQI uses rolling averages (24 h for particles, 8 h for ozone), so it moves more slowly than the hourly concentrations.
Best time to be outside in Dhanbad today
Between 6 am and 9 pm local time, the cleanest air today is forecast around 4:30 pm (AQI 150, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) and the worst around 6:30 am (AQI 152). The difference across the day is small, so timing matters little.
Dhanbad vs the rest of India
Across 260 India cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 116 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Dhanbad at 152 is 36 points worse than average.
It ranks 179 of 260 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Dindigul (26) and the most polluted Karnāl (346).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 57.
Air quality in cities near Dhanbad
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bokāro | 32 km | 152 | Unhealthy | 73.3 |
| Chas | 32 km | 152 | Unhealthy | 73.3 |
| Kulti | 43 km | 113 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 36 |
| Āsansol | 58 km | 113 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 36 |
| Jāmuria | 67 km | 113 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 36 |
| Rānīganj | 74 km | 130 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 43.7 |
| Durgapur | 95 km | 130 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 43.7 |
| Mango | 110 km | 140 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 75.2 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Dhanbad, so the numbers on this page are model estimates. Models capture regional pollution well but can miss very local sources such as a busy road or a nearby fire.
Wildfire smoke
PM2.5 is forecast to reach 88 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 216 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 4 km away). Smoke is a likely contributor: keep windows closed, run an air purifier or HVAC filter, and check the fire map before heading out.
Advice for sensitive groups
At 152, children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with asthma, COPD or heart disease should limit time outdoors, especially strenuous activity. A well-fitted N95/FFP2 mask cuts particle exposure; it does not filter ozone.
What the US AQI numbers mean
| US AQI | Category | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0-50 | Good | Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. |
| 51-100 | Moderate | Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. |
| 101-150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. |
| 151-200 | Unhealthy | Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. |
| 201-300 | Very Unhealthy | Health alert: everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, and sensitive groups should stay indoors. |
| 301-500 | Hazardous | Emergency conditions: everyone should avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors with filtered air if possible. The scale tops out at 500; heavier dust or smoke is shown as 500. |
Values on this page are modelled by CAMS (Copernicus) and served by Open-Meteo; they are estimates for the area around the city centre, not readings from an official monitor.
Nearby cities
More for Dhanbad
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.