City report · Tamil Nadu, India
Salem Air quality today
Air quality in Salem currently reads AQI 156 (Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Air quality right now
AQI 156
Unhealthy
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 57.7
- tree cover
- 15.8%
- trees in this area
- 49.6K
- more trees needed
- 76.0K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Salem (M.Corp.), Tamil Nadu, India (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 9, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Salem · AQI 156 (Unhealthy)
Salem's tree count comes to 49,637 trees across 12.57 km², 24 points below the 40% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 76,027 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Salem today: AQI 156, Unhealthy
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 12:30 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 165 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 165 km, e.g. Bengaluru and Ooty
Health signal
Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
PM2.5
57.7
PM10
44.5
NO₂
2.3
O₃
177.0
SO₂
17.4
CO
280.0
- Outdoor exercise
- Everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it
- Windows
- Keep them closed
- Mask
- Wear an N95 outdoors
- Air purifier
- Run one
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Salem's daily AQI at 92 on average, from 59 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 161 on Nov 10.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from India's AQI (CPCB) · The full guide
Where Salem stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Salem: Critically low
15.8% tree cover against a 40% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
49,637
Target trees
125,664
More trees needed
76,027
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,673 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Salem lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Salem has lost about 8 hectares of forest (about 12 football pitches): 1.2% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (24%). About 3 hectares (33%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 8 haabout 12 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 1.2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2002, when about 2 hectares of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | 2 ha | 2 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Salem?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good24% · 2 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good7.1% · under 1 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown65% · 6 ha
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 7,850 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 8,590 ha
- Overall change
- +746 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Salem grew from about 7,850 hectares to 8,590 hectares, a net gain of about 746 hectares (+9.5%). New forest grew on about 800 hectares, while 54 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Salem
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kumarapalayam53.7 km
India
- Tree cover
- 18%
- Air quality
- 173
- Erode58.1 km
India
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 158
- Karur77.8 km
India
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 153
- Kallakurichi88.0 km
India
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 163
- Tiruppur105.8 km
India
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 105
- Tiruchirappalli110.3 km
India
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 170
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Frequently asked
Questions about Salem
What is the air quality (AQI) in Salem right now?
The latest reading for Salem shows an AQI of 156 (Unhealthy), observed Nov 11, 12:30 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 165 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Salem today?
At AQI 156 (Unhealthy): everyone should cut down long or hard exercise; sensitive groups should avoid it. Windows: keep them closed. Masks: wear an N95 outdoors. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Salem been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Salem's daily AQI at 92 on average, from 59 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 161 on Nov 10. On 3 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Salem's AQI the same as India's AQI (CPCB)?
No. Airleaf shows the US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI), the scale used by IQAir and most air-quality apps. India's Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) publishes the National Air Quality Index on its own scale: 0–50 good, 51–100 satisfactory, 101–200 moderate, 201–300 poor, 301–400 very poor and 401–500 severe. The two scales don't line up. At moderate fine-particle levels the US scale reads higher: 55 µg/m³ of PM2.5 is 149 on the US AQI but about 92, "satisfactory", on India's. In heavy smog India's reads higher: 100 µg/m³ is 182 on the US AQI and about 232, "poor", on India's. CPCB also averages particles over 24 hours, so its figure moves more slowly than an hourly reading.
How much forest has the area around Salem lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Salem has lost about 8 hectares of forest (about 12 football pitches): 1.2% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (24%). About 3 hectares (33%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Salem grew from about 7,850 hectares to 8,590 hectares, a net gain of about 746 hectares (+9.5%). New forest grew on about 800 hectares, while 54 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Salem?
Salem has an estimated 49,637 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 15.8% tree cover, 24 percentage points short of the 40% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Salem need?
Salem needs roughly 76,027 more trees to close a 24-point shortfall against its 40% tree-cover target — about 1,673 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Salem's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Salem (M.Corp.); the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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