City report · Tamil Nadu, India
Tiruchirappalli Air quality today
Air quality in Tiruchirappalli currently reads AQI 167 (Unhealthy): Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
AQI 167
Air quality right now
Unhealthy
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 76.3
- tree cover
- 26.8%
- trees in this area
- 84.2K
- more trees needed
- 41.5K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Palakarai, Sangillyandapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 29, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Tiruchirappalli · AQI 167 (Unhealthy)
Tiruchirappalli's tree count comes to 84,195 trees across 12.57 km², 13 points below the 40% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 41,469 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Tiruchirappalli today: AQI 167, Unhealthy
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 12:30 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 185 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 2 station cities within 185 km, e.g. Cuddalore and Puducherry
Health signal
Everyone should limit long outdoor exertion; sensitive groups more so.
PM2.5
76.3
PM10
48.5
NO₂
2.8
O₃
178.0
SO₂
19.2
CO
274.0
- 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 Tiruchirappalli's daily AQI at 79 on average, from 52 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 130 on Nov 10.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from India's AQI (CPCB) · The full guide
Where Tiruchirappalli stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Tiruchirappalli: Below target
26.8% tree cover against a 40% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
84,195
Target trees
125,664
More trees needed
41,469
CO₂ if planted / yr
912.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Tiruchirappalli lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tiruchirappalli has lost about 61 hectares of forest (about 85 football pitches): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 61 haabout 85 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 19%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 53 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2012, when about 20 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 | 13 ha | under 1 ha | 14 ha |
| 2002 | 7 ha | 2 ha | 9 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2005 | 3 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2007 | 1 ha | 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2008 | 4 ha | under 1 ha | 5 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2012 | 19 ha | 1 ha | 20 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 Tiruchirappalli?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good83% · 50 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good3.6% · 2 ha
- Unknown causescause unknown14% · 8 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
- 2,490 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 2,660 ha
- Overall change
- +173 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tiruchirappalli grew from about 2,490 hectares to 2,660 hectares, a net gain of about 173 hectares (+7%). New forest grew on about 234 hectares, while 61 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 Tiruchirappalli
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Thanjavur48.5 km
India
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 107
- Pudukkottai50.2 km
India
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 111
- Karur69.0 km
India
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 119
- Kumbakonam77.6 km
India
- Tree cover
- 49%
- Air quality
- 107
- Kāraikkudi83.7 km
India
- Tree cover
- 45%
- Air quality
- 86
- Dindigul92.7 km
India
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 109
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Frequently asked
Questions about Tiruchirappalli
What is the air quality (AQI) in Tiruchirappalli right now?
The latest reading for Tiruchirappalli shows an AQI of 167 (Unhealthy), observed Nov 11, 12:30 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 2 ground-station cities within 185 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 Tiruchirappalli today?
At AQI 167 (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 Tiruchirappalli been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Tiruchirappalli's daily AQI at 79 on average, from 52 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 130 on Nov 10. On 2 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Tiruchirappalli'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 Tiruchirappalli lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Tiruchirappalli has lost about 61 hectares of forest (about 85 football pitches): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Tiruchirappalli grew from about 2,490 hectares to 2,660 hectares, a net gain of about 173 hectares (+7%). New forest grew on about 234 hectares, while 61 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Tiruchirappalli?
Tiruchirappalli has an estimated 84,195 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 26.8% tree cover, 13 percentage points short of the 40% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Tiruchirappalli need?
Tiruchirappalli needs roughly 41,469 more trees to close a 13-point shortfall against its 40% tree-cover target — about 912.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Tiruchirappalli'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 Palakarai; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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