SmogRank / Episodes / India

Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, India, September 2026

For 3 days, from 15 to 17 September 2026, 11 cities in India had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Belpahar, Odisha, India: 78.7 µg/m³ on 16 September, about 4.6× its usual 17.2.

No cause namedWe have no fire or smoke records for these days, so we only say what the measurements show.
Cities reached11in 1 country
Days315 to 17 September 2026
Worst day16 September8 cities counted
Furthest above usual4.6×Belpahar

Day by day

16 September 8 cities at twice their usual or more
RourkelaJodaAngulRairangpurBilāspurBaripādaJhariaSingrauliĀsansolDurgRānīganjHaldiaKolkataShrīrāmpurMaiharBhubaneswarCuttackBhilaiDera Colliery TownshipRaipurByasanagarKeonjhargarhDurgapurBarbilBhelaiBelpahar
12 Sep1314151617181920
Every measured city in the area, coloured by its PM2.5 that day; a dark ring marks a city at twice its usual or more. Bars: cities counted each day, coloured by their median level. Choose a day or press play; without JavaScript, the days link to that day's world ranking.

How it spread

BhelaiBhelai, 12 September: 6.8 µg/m³Bhelai, 13 September: 9.0 µg/m³Bhelai, 14 September: 38.0 µg/m³Bhelai, 15 September: 42.6 µg/m³, 4.3× its usual 10.0Bhelai, 16 September: 33.4 µg/m³, 3.3× its usual 10.0Bhelai, 17 September: 22.7 µg/m³Bhelai, 18 September: 16.6 µg/m³Bhelai, 19 September: 18.2 µg/m³Bhelai, 20 September: 15.6 µg/m³CuttackCuttack, 12 September: 12.6 µg/m³Cuttack, 13 September: 16.5 µg/m³Cuttack, 14 September: 18.6 µg/m³Cuttack, 15 September: 41.4 µg/m³, 2.2× its usual 18.8Cuttack, 16 September: 41.4 µg/m³, 2.2× its usual 19.1Cuttack, 17 September: 24.5 µg/m³Cuttack, 18 September: 43.9 µg/m³Cuttack, 19 September: 39.9 µg/m³Cuttack, 20 September: 24.5 µg/m³KeonjhargarhKeonjhargarh, 12 September: 22.0 µg/m³Keonjhargarh, 13 September: 24.9 µg/m³Keonjhargarh, 14 September: 26.7 µg/m³Keonjhargarh, 15 September: 36.0 µg/m³, 2.6× its usual 13.6Keonjhargarh, 16 September: 26.7 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 13.4Keonjhargarh, 17 September: 27.9 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 13.1Keonjhargarh, 18 September: 21.0 µg/m³Keonjhargarh, 19 September: 24.0 µg/m³Keonjhargarh, 20 September: 30.9 µg/m³BhubaneswarBhubaneswar, 12 September: 10.4 µg/m³Bhubaneswar, 13 September: 14.1 µg/m³Bhubaneswar, 14 September: 16.2 µg/m³Bhubaneswar, 15 September: 35.7 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 17.3Bhubaneswar, 16 September: 30.4 µg/m³Bhubaneswar, 17 September: 15.2 µg/m³Bhubaneswar, 18 September: 28.4 µg/m³Bhubaneswar, 19 September: 20.2 µg/m³Bhubaneswar, 20 September: 9.6 µg/m³BelpaharBelpahar, 12 September: 9.0 µg/m³Belpahar, 13 September: 22.4 µg/m³Belpahar, 14 September: 55.5 µg/m³Belpahar, 15 September: 31.3 µg/m³Belpahar, 16 September: 78.7 µg/m³, 4.6× its usual 17.2Belpahar, 17 September: 33.5 µg/m³Belpahar, 18 September: 23.3 µg/m³Belpahar, 19 September: 25.9 µg/m³Belpahar, 20 September: 14.6 µg/m³BarbilBarbil, 12 September: 13.7 µg/m³Barbil, 13 September: 19.3 µg/m³Barbil, 14 September: 21.9 µg/m³Barbil, 15 September: no readingBarbil, 16 September: 60.0 µg/m³, 3.0× its usual 19.9Barbil, 17 September: 49.8 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 21.1Barbil, 18 September: no readingBarbil, 19 September: 20.6 µg/m³Barbil, 20 September: 17.9 µg/m³ByasanagarByasanagar, 12 September: 25.7 µg/m³Byasanagar, 13 September: 27.4 µg/m³Byasanagar, 14 September: 32.0 µg/m³Byasanagar, 15 September: 36.4 µg/m³Byasanagar, 16 September: 52.3 µg/m³, 2.2× its usual 23.5Byasanagar, 17 September: 59.2 µg/m³, 2.5× its usual 24.0Byasanagar, 18 September: 50.2 µg/m³Byasanagar, 19 September: 40.5 µg/m³Byasanagar, 20 September: 33.0 µg/m³BhilaiBhilai, 12 September: 11.5 µg/m³Bhilai, 13 September: 9.4 µg/m³Bhilai, 14 September: 15.1 µg/m³Bhilai, 15 September: 20.7 µg/m³Bhilai, 16 September: 35.6 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 15.7Bhilai, 17 September: 33.2 µg/m³Bhilai, 18 September: 21.3 µg/m³Bhilai, 19 September: 20.8 µg/m³Bhilai, 20 September: 32.4 µg/m³RaipurRaipur, 12 September: 7.1 µg/m³Raipur, 13 September: 5.6 µg/m³Raipur, 14 September: 8.2 µg/m³Raipur, 15 September: 13.4 µg/m³Raipur, 16 September: 30.5 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 12.9Raipur, 17 September: 43.7 µg/m³Raipur, 18 September: 23.5 µg/m³Raipur, 19 September: 20.5 µg/m³Raipur, 20 September: 34.2 µg/m³DurgapurDurgapur, 12 September: 17.2 µg/m³Durgapur, 13 September: 23.9 µg/m³Durgapur, 14 September: 23.6 µg/m³Durgapur, 15 September: 34.4 µg/m³Durgapur, 16 September: 35.1 µg/m³Durgapur, 17 September: 57.2 µg/m³, 2.6× its usual 22.2Durgapur, 18 September: 43.5 µg/m³Durgapur, 19 September: 28.4 µg/m³Durgapur, 20 September: 27.0 µg/m³Dera Colliery Towns…Dera Colliery Township, 12 September: no readingDera Colliery Township, 13 September: no readingDera Colliery Township, 14 September: no readingDera Colliery Township, 15 September: no readingDera Colliery Township, 16 September: no readingDera Colliery Township, 17 September: 56.2 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 24.4Dera Colliery Township, 18 September: 40.4 µg/m³Dera Colliery Township, 19 September: 60.5 µg/m³Dera Colliery Township, 20 September: 40.4 µg/m³12 Sep1314151617181920
Every counted city, in the order the episode reached them, 3 days before to 3 after. Each square is a day, coloured by that day's PM2.5; outlined: at twice the city's usual or more.
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

Every city it reached

CityDaysHighestUsualAbove usual
BelpaharOdisha, India1 78.716 September17.24.6×
BhelaiChhattisgarh, India2 42.615 September10.04.3×
BarbilOdisha, India2 60.016 September19.93.0×
DurgapurWest Bengal, India1 57.217 September22.22.6×
KeonjhargarhOdisha, India3 36.015 September13.62.6×
ByasanagarOdisha, India2 59.217 September24.02.5×
RaipurChhattisgarh, India1 30.516 September12.92.4×
Dera Colliery TownshipOdisha, India1 56.217 September24.42.3×
BhilaiChhattisgarh, India1 35.616 September15.72.3×
CuttackOdisha, India2 41.415 September18.82.2×
BhubaneswarOdisha, India1 35.715 September17.32.1×

Daily means in µg/m³, over the days each city counted in this episode. Highest: its highest of those days. Usual: the city's median for the time of year of that day (its days within 21 days of the date, every year, leaving out the week around it). Above usual: its highest day against that, with a usual under 5 µg/m³ taken as 5.

Against other episodes in India

Number 34 of 54 episodes in India since our records began, by cities reached.

Bars: cities reached; colour: the level of the episode's highest daily reading. All 54.

Use this page

SmogRank, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, India, September 2026: 11 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 15 to 17 September 2026, smogrank.com/episodes/2026-09-odisha-chhattisgarh-and-west-bengal-india (accessed 4 October 2026).

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You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms.

An episode is a run of days when many cities close to each other (four or more within 350 km on a day, 8 or more in all) each had a daily PM2.5 mean of at least 25 µg/m³ and at least 2 times their usual for that time of year. Found in our own measurements, not picked by hand. How we find episodes. Values are each city's daily mean of its own monitors; causes are the usual kinds for a pattern like this, not a confirmed source.