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Developed by the Government of Punjab and ICIMOD, the upgraded Air Quality Portal brings together observations, forecasts, and analytical tools to support faster and more transparent decision-making on air pollution.
Every winter, severe air pollution returns to haunt the people of Punjab, Pakistan, and beyond, as stagnant weather conditions trap pollutants near the ground. Cities become enveloped in a hazardous haze, and asthma and other grave illnesses spike, particularly among children and the elderly, and daily routines are frequently disrupted. For instance, in October 2025, Lahore recorded a citywide Air Quality Index (AQI) of 412, triggering revised school timings and public health alerts in several districts, including Faisalabad and Multan.
The AQI scale followed by Pakistan ranges from 0 to 500, with the following categories:
| AQI Range | Category |
| 0-50 | Good |
| 51-100 | Satisfactory |
| 101-150 | Moderate |
| 151-200 | Unhealthy for sensitive groups |
| 201-300 | Unhealthy |
| 301-400 | Very unhealthy |
| 401-500 | Hazardous |
To respond to such severe air pollution promptly and comprehensively, authorities need access to robust data, including information on sources and the various kinds of pollution, where it is intensifying, and how conditions are likely to change over the next few days.
A clearer picture of Punjab’s air
These public policy and health objectives underlie the development and upgradation of the Air Quality Portal Punjab, Pakistan, launched on 7 September 2026, the United Nations International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, by the Government of Punjab and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The dashboard has been developed by the Environment Protection and Climate Change Department (EPCCD) of the Government of Punjab and ICIMOD’s Air team. It tracks major pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), PM10, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen oxides, and sulphur dioxide. This information is essential to understanding the different types and sources of pollution that Punjab receives.
The EPCCD and ICIMOD sought to combine different streams of air quality information in a single platform, including ground monitoring, satellite products, atmospheric modelling, and AI-enabled tools. The technical challenge lay not only in the collation and display of more data, but in organising the complex information in a manner that would help users move easily between getting a provincial-level overview and information about location-specific air pollution patterns.
Improvements to the platform
A key improvement is the dashboard’s forecasting capabilities, which use data from NASA’s Goddard Earth Observing System to provide 72-hour PM2.5 projections. This provides authorities a near-future view of the likely pollution trends and the severity of any air pollution episode.
This shift from observation to anticipation is crucial in supporting preparedness, increasing interdepartmental communication, and promoting clearer risk communication protocols. It helps agencies examine how pollution behaves, which is important for any agency in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) airshed to understand.
Why it is relevant for the IGP airshed
The IGP airshed stretches from eastern Pakistan through northern India and southern Nepal into Bangladesh. Given the nature of the IGP, air pollution flows freely through the airshed. Enhancing national air quality monitoring capabilities benefits the region by showing how pollution transcends national boundaries and helps countries understand the sources and sinks of air pollution.
Importantly, it also allows for other countries in the region to learn from best practices employed, which can be adapted for regional forecasts or management practices. For example, it can prompt improved coordination to better manage the social and productivity aspects of air pollution, including health advisories or workplace restrictions based on reliable atmospheric pollution data.
Designed for better decisions
The Air Quality Portal will help the Punjab government take faster and better-targeted actions, and is hence an important asset in the government’s plan for better air quality management. It translates complex science into a practical tool, and will be vital in providing a clearer and future-forward view of prevailing air pollution conditions in Punjab, Pakistan, with potential gains for people in the province and beyond.
ICIMOD’s work on air pollution with the Government of Pakistan is supported by the Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP), funded by the UK International Development through its flagship Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme.