Forecasting Air Pollution of Urban Chennai Localities using Artificial Intelligence

India’s air quality deteriorated significantly in 2023, ranking third worst globally, highlighting the urgency for effective monitoring and mitigation measures. To comprehend past trends and predict future patterns, historical air pollution data from seven urban areas in Chennai was analyzed using the XGBoost Algorithm. This study aims to gain insights into Chennai’s air quality, identify abnormalities, and issue timely warnings to the public and governing authorities. XGBoost was employed to forecast AQI, NO2, PM2.5, NOx, PM10, CO, SO2, NH3, and Ozone levels, outperforming traditional LSTM, Prophet, and ARIMA models. Evaluation using RMSE and MAE scores revealed XGBoost’s efficacy, with scores of 20.65 and 14.35, respectively. The research highlights regions like Alandur, Arumbakkam, and Manali with notable concentrations of contaminants, emphasizing the need for immediate action. These findings highlight the significance of utilizing advanced algorithms for accurate air quality forecasting and proactive pollution management.