City report · Andhra Pradesh, India
Visakhapatnam Air quality today
Air quality in Visakhapatnam currently reads AQI 71 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 71
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.0
- tree cover
- 22.1%
- trees in this area
- 69.4K
- more trees needed
- 24.8K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Gonthinavanipalem, Gajuwaka, Andhra Pradesh, India (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Oct 23, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Visakhapatnam · AQI 71 (Moderate)
Visakhapatnam's tree count comes to 69,429 trees across 12.57 km², 8 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 24,819 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Visakhapatnam today: AQI 71, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 19:45 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · GVM Corporation, Visakhapatnam - APPCB, 12.2 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.0
PM10
42.0
NO₂
47.4
O₃
59.5
SO₂
3.9
CO
0.4
Data: OpenAQ · CPCB, Central Pollution Control Board, Government of India (GODL-India)
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Visakhapatnam's daily AQI at 145 on average, from 80 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 179 on Nov 8.
This is the US EPA AQI. How it differs from India's AQI (CPCB) · The full guide
Where Visakhapatnam stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Visakhapatnam: Below target
22.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
69,429
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
24,819
CO₂ if planted / yr
546.0 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Visakhapatnam lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Visakhapatnam has lost about 90 hectares of forest (about 130 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from February 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 90 haabout 130 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- 11%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 78 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2007, when about 21 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 | 4 ha | 1 ha | 6 ha |
| 2002 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 3 ha |
| 2003 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2005 | 7 ha | 2 ha | 9 ha |
| 2006 | 10 ha | 2 ha | 12 ha |
| 2007 | 21 ha | under 1 ha | 21 ha |
| 2008 | 9 ha | 3 ha | 11 ha |
| 2009 | 9 ha | under 1 ha | 9 ha |
| 2010 | 7 ha | under 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2011 | 6 ha | 1 ha | 7 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 Visakhapatnam?
- Towns and roadscleared for good80% · 72 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good6.2% · 6 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back3.4% · 3 ha
Also: logging, unknown causes.
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
- 10,200 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 10,400 ha
- Overall change
- +285 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Visakhapatnam grew from about 10,200 hectares to 10,400 hectares, a net gain of about 285 hectares (+2.8%). New forest grew on about 596 hectares, while 311 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 Visakhapatnam
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Rasapūdipalem13.5 km
India
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 71
- Vizianagaram53.4 km
India
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 158
- Srikakulam100.8 km
India
- Tree cover
- 24%
- Air quality
- 154
- Kākināda129.9 km
India
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 169
- Rajamahendravaram168.7 km
India
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 183
- Nowrangapur185.7 km
India
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 100
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Frequently asked
Questions about Visakhapatnam
What is the air quality (AQI) in Visakhapatnam right now?
The latest reading for Visakhapatnam shows an AQI of 71 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 19:45 local time by the GVM Corporation, Visakhapatnam - APPCB ground monitoring station, 12.2 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Visakhapatnam today?
At AQI 71 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Visakhapatnam been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Visakhapatnam's daily AQI at 145 on average, from 80 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 179 on Nov 8. On 6 of those days the average was above 100, unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Is Visakhapatnam'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 Visakhapatnam lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Visakhapatnam has lost about 90 hectares of forest (about 130 football pitches): 11% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Visakhapatnam grew from about 10,200 hectares to 10,400 hectares, a net gain of about 285 hectares (+2.8%). New forest grew on about 596 hectares, while 311 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Visakhapatnam?
Visakhapatnam has an estimated 69,429 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 22.1% tree cover, 8 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Visakhapatnam need?
Visakhapatnam needs roughly 24,819 more trees to close a 8-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 546.0 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Visakhapatnam's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Gonthinavanipalem, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. 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 Gonthinavanipalem; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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