Air quality in Patna was worse than Delhi on December 10, according to official figures of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The Bihar capital recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 335 on the morning of December 10. This is categorised as ‘severe’ and ‘unhealthy’ by the CPCB.
The Samanpura residential locality in the heart of Patna recorded an AQI of 335 at 7 am, according to CPCB data. Interestingly, Dwarka in Delhi recorded an AQI of 326 at the same time.
The Bihar Pollution Control Board (BPCB) has already identified Samanpura as a ‘red zone’ for recording the highest AQI in recent days. Samanpura and adjoining residential localities like Ashiana, Khajpura and Raja Bazaar are densely populated. They are situated hardly a kilometre from Patna Zoo, considered a ‘green zone’.
Besides Patna, 10 other cities and towns of the state also recorded a deterioration in air quality as temperature dipped. These include Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Munger, Hajipur, Ara, Buxar, Biharsharif, Araria and Rajgir.
An AQI of above 200 was recorded in these cities on December 10, according to BPCB officials. Patna was followed by Bhagalpur, which recorded an AQI of 280, Munger (269), Biharsharif (259), Rajgir (248), Gaya (221), Araria (218), Ara (217), Hajipur (214) and Muzaffarpur (206). These AQI figures are all categorised as ‘Poor’.
Health experts and doctors have expressed concern over the worsening air quality in the state in recent days. They warned that increasing air pollution will affect the health of people, particularly children, the elderly and those suffering from different ailments.
The number of people visiting hospitals with acute respiratory illness has increased in Patna and other cities and towns in the state since early December due to worsening air pollution. Most of them have been complaining of breathlessness, uneasiness in the chest or suspected chest infection.
Health officials at AIIMs Patna; Patna Medical College and Hospital; Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, Patna and Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Science have confirmed that the numbers of patients with respiratory infections, breathlessness and allergies have been increasing due to poor air quality.
BPCB officials said the state’s geographical structure, mainly its loose soil composition, also contributes to the rise in airborne dust particles.
The BPCB’s recent study highlighted that the shifting of the Ganga river away from Patna as well as biomass burning in the city’s vicinity are responsible for its current poor air quality. Besides, ongoing construction activities on a large scale and vehicular movement also contribute to air pollution.
Taking serious note of deteriorating air quality in Patna, the local administration has intensified water sprinkling on the main roads and also directed that under-construction buildings be covered to minimise dust.
Air pollution in cities across Bihar is not new as seven cities of the state, including Patna, figured in the 2024 World Air Quality Report published by Switzerland-based IQAir during early 2025.
However, BPCB officials claimed that despite poor air quality in Patna and other places, there has been a decrease in dust particles like PM2.5 levels, compared to the past.