Pollution rises sharply across Lahore
Lahore's air quality index reached 355 at 9:00 a.m. on October 22, 2026, up from 290 at the same hour the previous day, according to the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency. Three monitoring stations, at Multan Road, Shahdara and Punjab University, recorded readings of 500, classified by the agency as hazardous.
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The agency's Lahore air quality dashboard classified the city reading of 355 as very unhealthy. The increase of 65 index points, about 22%, marked a sharp deterioration within a day. Residents in some neighbourhoods faced substantially worse conditions than the city figure suggested.
Other readings put Lahore at 265 on October 22, while an undated update recorded 294, with Kahna Nau at 352 and Iqbal Town at 342. The agency's timestamped figure of 355 provides the clearest reference for the morning of October 22. The different updates lack enough matching information about measurement times and monitoring methods to reconcile every figure.
Lahore also moved between first and second place in international pollution rankings during the week. For residents deciding whether to exercise outdoors or reduce exposure, the local station reading offers more practical information than the city's position in a changing global list.
Three locations reach 500
Multan Road, Shahdara and Punjab University each registered an AQI of 500 at 9:00 a.m. on October 22. Kahna Nau followed at 370, GT Road at 363 and Egerton Road at 355. The agency classified those last three readings as very unhealthy.
Conditions elsewhere were less severe but still classified as unhealthy: DHA Phase 6 recorded 278, Safari Park 277, Barki Road 242 and Wagha Border 216. Even the lowest of those ten station readings remained in a category that calls for attention to exposure.
The spread between 216 at Wagha Border and 500 at the three worst locations shows how much conditions varied within Lahore at the same hour. A single city figure compresses those local differences into one number.
Another October 22 snapshot recorded Chaman Park at 318, Barki Road at 299, Model Town at 260, DHA at 257, Bedian Road at 253, Iqbal Town at 250 and Askari Ten at 178. The contrast reinforces the value of checking a nearby monitor rather than assuming every neighbourhood has the same air.
What the index tells residents
The air quality index, or AQI, converts pollution measurements into a scale intended to communicate health risk. Higher readings mean worse air. An increase of 22% in index points describes the change in the index; the amount of each pollutant is measured separately.
Punjab's dashboard lists PM2.5 and PM10 alongside gases including carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. PM2.5 means fine particles no more than 2.5 micrometres across. Their small size allows them to travel deep into the lungs. PM10 includes larger particles, such as some types of dust.
The dashboard's categories provide a consistent guide to its October 22 figures: 355 was labelled very unhealthy and 500 hazardous. It also labelled readings between 216 and 278 unhealthy, while its afternoon forecast placed values between 184 and 197 in the category unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Children, older adults and people with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions face particular concerns during polluted periods. A lower afternoon reading can offer some improvement while still leaving air that warrants precautions.
A week of changing readings
Lahore's pollution problem developed across several days, with changes both between dates and within the same day. The agency's weekly summary placed the minimum at 101 at 6:00 p.m. on October 16 and the maximum at 355 on October 22.
- October 18: A dashboard snapshot recorded Lahore at 185 at 11:00 a.m., while Shahdara reached 500.
- October 19: Lahore exceeded 240 early in the morning, then fell to 189 around noon. Mumbai moved into first place in the international ranking at 197.
- October 20: Lahore was recorded at 200 and ranked second among major cities, behind Delhi, with Karachi third.
- October 21: The Punjab dashboard's comparison figure was 290 at 9:00 a.m.
- October 22: The agency recorded Lahore at 355 at 9:00 a.m., with three stations at 500.
The October 18 figures appeared in an update published on October 19 that described Sunday's conditions. Its station readings included Kahna Nau at 200, Barki Road at 197, Multan Road at 188, DHA Phase 6 at 168 and Safari Park at 152.
Shahdara's reading of 500 in that earlier snapshot shows that severe local pollution was already present when Lahore's city reading was much lower. By October 22, Multan Road and Punjab University also appeared at 500.
Pollution extends beyond the city
Other Punjab cities also recorded elevated pollution during the period. In the Sunday dashboard snapshot, Lahore's AQI of 185 was above Okara's 168, Faisalabad's 167, Pakpattan's 166 and Multan's 163.
On October 20, Multan was listed as Pakistan's most polluted city at 244, followed by Muzaffargarh at 224. Peshawar recorded 219, Gujranwala 211 and Rahim Yar Khan 188, while Lahore stood at 200.
Lahore's neighbourhood figures that day included Barki Road at 271, Iqbal Town at 215, Model Town at 203, Bedian Road at 193 and Defence at 189. Those readings again placed some communities above the city figure.
The national and international lists cover different sets of cities. Lahore could therefore rank second among the major cities in an international list while Multan registered a higher reading in a Pakistan comparison.
Dry weather limits relief
The Meteorological Department forecast dry weather with no rain in the October 19 update, when Lahore's minimum temperature was 19 degrees Celsius. An October 22 morning update recorded 25 degrees Celsius and humidity of 65%.
Rain can remove some particles from the air. Dry conditions leave residents without that possible source of relief, while autumn and winter weather can favour the accumulation of pollutants near the ground.
The Punjab EPA identifies October through February as Lahore's main seasonal smog period. Its dashboard names vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, brick kiln smoke, construction dust and the burning of crop remains among the sources.
Environmentalist Saima Zia said small factories were affecting Lahore's air quality while the government was working to curb pollution. No breakdown was given showing how much each source contributed to the October readings, so the figures support concern about several sources rather than a numerical ranking of their contributions.
Afternoon improvement was forecast
The agency's October 22 hourly forecast projected an AQI of 288 at 10:00 a.m., 257 at 11:00 a.m. and 213 at noon. It then forecast 193 at 1:00 p.m., 197 at 2:00 p.m., 189 at 3:00 p.m., 184 at 4:00 p.m. and 188 at 5:00 p.m.
The projected decline from the morning reading would still leave several hours of unhealthy air, followed by conditions classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups. Residents planning outdoor activity would need to check actual readings as the day progressed because forecasts describe expected conditions.
The Meteorological Department also warned that Lahore's AQI could rise in the coming days as dry weather continued. An improvement within one afternoon and a worsening outlook over several days can occur together: they describe different periods.
Precautions and public monitoring
Health advice issued during the polluted period included wearing face masks outdoors and limiting strenuous outdoor activity. Exercise makes people breathe more deeply and rapidly, increasing the amount of polluted air they inhale. Breathing difficulties or irritation are reasons to reduce exposure.
Children, older residents and people with existing lung or heart conditions have particular reason to follow nearby readings. The October 22 station data show why a household near Shahdara or Multan Road may face different conditions from one near Wagha Border.
Punjab's Environment Protection Department also maintains an air quality report archive listing dated reports from December 3 through December 23, 2025. That archive provides a record of earlier monitoring, while the live dashboard supplies the timestamped local readings used for current decisions.
The live page contains a presentation inconsistency: its main summary and weekly panel show 355, while another current reading field displays 15 alongside the very unhealthy label. It also refers to both ten and eleven stations, although ten station rows are listed. Those display details need clarification from the agency.
Key Points
- Punjab EPA recorded Lahore's AQI at 355 at 9:00 a.m. on October 22, up from 290 a day earlier.
- Multan Road, Shahdara and Punjab University each recorded hazardous readings of 500.
- Pollution varied widely by neighbourhood, making nearby station readings useful for daily decisions.
- Dry weather was forecast, while the agency projected some improvement during the afternoon.
- Residents were advised to wear masks outdoors and limit strenuous outdoor activity during high pollution.
