Tashkent Air Reaches Unhealthy Levels as Uzbekistan Expands Pollution Monitoring

Fine particles drive the capital into the red zone

Tashkent recorded an unhealthy air quality index of 154 at 09:00 on October 19, with fine particle pollution reaching 60 micrograms per cubic metre, according to IQAir. That concentration was 12 times the World Health Organization guideline for average annual exposure to PM2.5, the tiny airborne particles identified as the main pollutant.

The capital was listed 13th among major cities in the global pollution ranking at the time of the morning alert. Samarqand also recorded poor air, with an index of 105, a level considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. Children, older people and people with breathing conditions face particular concerns when particle concentrations rise.

The readings arrived as Uzbekistan Airports expanded automatic monitoring around airports, with equipment installed in Samarqand on October 9 and near Fergana airport on October 15. The stations will measure particles, several gases and weather conditions around the clock, feeding results into a shared environmental database.

Tashkent also faces a longer running pollution problem. A World Bank assessment published on October 9, 2024, found that its annual average PM2.5 concentration exceeded the WHO guideline by more than six times. Its findings connect the daily warnings to heating, transport, industry and dust, each requiring different measures.

What the numbers mean for residents

IQAir's Tashkent air quality page classified the October 19 reading as unhealthy. On the US air quality index, values from 151 to 200 fall into that category. Everyone may begin to experience health effects, while people who are more sensitive to pollution may experience more serious effects.

AQI is a scale that turns pollution measurements into a health warning. The PM2.5 concentration is a different measurement: it describes how much fine particle material is present in a cubic metre of air. PM2.5 particles measure 2.5 micrometres or less across and are small enough to travel deep into the lungs.

The WHO annual guideline is 5 micrograms per cubic metre. Dividing the October 19 concentration of 60 by that guideline gives the comparison of 12 times. The morning reading describes conditions at that time; the annual guideline concerns exposure averaged over a year. Tashkent's annual average, assessed separately by the World Bank, was above 30 micrograms per cubic metre.

The World Air Quality Index project's Tashkent monitoring page also displayed an unhealthy reading, at 155, in an update labelled Monday at 09:00. The page identifies Uzhydromet and World Meteorological Organization surface observations among its data sources and says measurements undergo quality checks and may be revised.

Pollution varies across the city and country

Individual stations in Tashkent showed a substantial spread. IQAir listed the station named 110 school at 165, AROMA CLASSIC at 163, Aldo Coppola at 156 and Almazar at 150. Afrosiab street stood at 132, Air-Sadaf at 122 and Afgan Street at 110.

Those readings ranged across two health categories: unhealthy and unhealthy for sensitive groups. A citywide figure gives residents a broad warning, while measurements closer to a particular neighbourhood describe more local conditions.

Outside the capital, IQAir listed Salor at 123 and Samarqand at 105, both within the category for sensitive groups. Bukhara recorded 81, G'azalkent 73, Urganch 62 and Amirsoy 60, all within the moderate category. Tashkent had the highest reading among the Uzbek cities in that listing.

The World Air Quality Index page also showed that fine particles were driving its Tashkent warning. Its PM2.5 index was 155, compared with 89 for PM10, which includes larger particles. Sulfur dioxide, ozone and carbon monoxide had index values of 11, zero and one respectively.

Calm autumn weather can let particles accumulate

Climatologist Erkin Abdulahatov's assessment for October 19 to 25 identified a cold anticyclone and weak winds as conditions that could allow PM2.5 to accumulate in Tashkent and the valley regions. An anticyclone is an area of high atmospheric pressure that can bring settled weather and limited air movement.

Weak winds give pollution less opportunity to disperse. An atmospheric inversion can also restrict mixing: warmer air above cooler air near the ground acts like a lid, allowing particles to build up in the air people breathe.

Uzhydromet's forecast described a very dry week, without strong winds or precipitation expected to bring a substantial change. Abdulahatov identified a risk of temporarily poorer urban air under those stable conditions, while noting that strong weather triggers for a sharp increase in airborne dust were absent.

The forecast therefore focused attention on pollution accumulating near the ground during October 19 to 25. The actual concentration would depend on both the weather and the amount of pollution entering the air.

Heating, traffic, industry and dust contribute different shares

The World Bank's air quality assessment was produced jointly with Uzbekistan's Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, with support from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It examined pollution in the capital and set out a programme for improving air quality management.

The assessment attributed 28% of Tashkent's PM2.5 pollution to heating, 16% to transport and 13% to industry. Windblown dust, including material arriving from beyond the city, accounted for 36%. Heating, transport and industry together represented 57%, more than the dust share.

Seasonal changes matter. Commercial and residential heating was the main source during winter, when PM2.5 concentrations peaked. Windblown dust dominated during summer. The practical response therefore needs to address both pollution produced by fuel use and particles carried into the city.

For residents, the source breakdown explains why a single measure, such as changing traffic conditions, would address only part of the problem. Cleaner heating, industrial emission controls and dust reduction each target a different contribution to the air they breathe.

The health burden carries a national economic cost

The World Bank linked PM2.5 pollution in Tashkent to health costs equivalent to 0.7% of Uzbekistan's gross domestic product. GDP measures the value of goods and services produced in the country, making the estimate a comparison between the capital's health burden and the size of the national economy.

The assessment identified PM2.5 as the pollutant associated with most diseases and premature deaths related to air pollution in Uzbekistan and worldwide. Repeated exposure matters alongside the immediate discomfort or breathing problems that residents may experience on a polluted day.

Uzbekistan's Ministry of Health adopted a PM2.5 standard for residential air quality on May 21, 2024. The World Bank described it as an initial interim target in line with WHO recommendations. An interim target is a step toward cleaner air that gives authorities a benchmark for action and progress.

The assessment recommended better fuel quality, more efficient heating appliances, buildings that use less energy and cleaner heating alternatives. It also called for financial assistance so vulnerable households could afford the initial cost of those changes. For families, cleaner heating depends partly on whether the replacement equipment and home improvements are affordable.

Airport stations will track particles, gases and weather

Uzbekistan Airports is implementing its monitoring project with Malkam Environmental Technologies. The first installations are in airport sanitary protection zones, designated areas around facilities where environmental conditions are monitored.

The stations measure PM2.5 and PM10, alongside nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Measuring several pollutants gives airport operators and environmental authorities a broader picture than a particle reading alone.

The equipment also records temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and wind direction. Those observations help authorities examine how pollution concentrations change with local weather, including periods when weak winds allow pollutants to linger.

Results are transmitted automatically to a unified environmental monitoring database that stores information by location. Uzbekistan Airports says the data will support tracking changes around airports, assessing environmental conditions and deciding on measures. Stations are planned near other international airports, although no completion date for the wider rollout was announced.

Key dates in the monitoring expansion

The airport installations preceded the October 19 air quality alert. The dates below separate that operational sequence from the policy measures and assessment published in 2024.

• May 21, 2024: Uzbekistan's Ministry of Health adopted a PM2.5 standard for residential air quality.
• October 9, 2024: The World Bank published its Tashkent air quality assessment and national management recommendations.
• October 9: Installation and adjustment of monitoring equipment at Samarqand airport were completed.
• October 15: A monitoring station was installed near Fergana airport.
• October 19, 09:00: IQAir listed Tashkent at 154 and Samarqand at 105.
• October 19 to 25: The weather assessment identified conditions favourable to particle accumulation in Tashkent and valley areas.

The airport rollout adds continuous observations at specific locations. The World Bank programme addresses the wider task of reducing emissions through standards, coordination and investment across heating, transport and industry.

What residents can do during unhealthy air

IQAir's recommendations for Tashkent were to avoid outdoor exercise, close windows to limit polluted air entering homes, wear a mask outdoors and use an indoor air purifier. Moving strenuous activity indoors reduces the amount of polluted outdoor air inhaled during exercise.

The air quality guidance on the World Air Quality Index page advises children, active adults and people with respiratory conditions such as asthma to avoid prolonged outdoor exertion in the unhealthy category. Everyone else should limit prolonged exertion, with particular care for children.

Samarqand's reading of 105 carried a more targeted warning for sensitive groups. People with breathing conditions, children and older residents have reason to pay close attention to changing readings when planning outdoor activity.

Household precautions address immediate exposure. Sustained improvements require the emission reductions identified in the World Bank assessment, supported by measurements that show where pollution is rising and whether action is bringing concentrations down.

Key Points

• Tashkent recorded an unhealthy IQAir reading of 154 at 09:00 on October 19.
• PM2.5 reached 60 micrograms per cubic metre, 12 times the WHO annual guideline.
• Samarqand recorded 105, a level unhealthy for sensitive groups.
• The World Bank found Tashkent's annual average PM2.5 exceeded the WHO guideline by more than six times.
• Heating, transport and industry accounted for a combined 57% of PM2.5 pollution in the assessment; windblown dust accounted for 36%.
• Airport stations in Samarqand and Fergana will continuously measure particles, gases and weather conditions.
• Calm, dry weather during October 19 to 25 could allow fine particles to accumulate near the ground.