Bahawalpur AQI Today: Check Punjab EPA's Reading for South Punjab, Free (7 November: 212)

Smog stories usually stop at Lahore. On Friday afternoon, the worst air in Punjab was in the south, along a belt from Khanewal and Muzaffargarh to Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan. So south Punjab families need their own numbers. Below are the readings, how to find them and what the province says to do. We read the dashboard ourselves before dawn on 7 November.

Bahawalpur's AQI at 3 am on 7 November 2026 was 212

Punjab EPA's dashboard showed Bahawalpur at 212 in its 3 am reading on 7 November, ranking 16th of the 30 Punjab cities with a figure. That is the Unhealthy band, 201 to 300. It means everyone should wear a mask outdoors and avoid heavy effort.

Bahawalpur barely moved over the past day, and that is what sets it apart. It read 218 at 2 pm on 6 November, when it tied for third worst in Punjab. Lahore read 153 that afternoon, then 345 before dawn on Saturday. So Bahawalpur went from well above Lahore to well below it in 13 hours. The number alone tells you less than the pattern does.

South Punjab cities ranged from 212 to 500 on 7 November

South Punjab's readings on 7 November ran from Bahawalpur's 212 up to Kot Addu's 500. Muzaffargarh was Hazardous at 410, DG Khan was Very Unhealthy at 321, and Rajanpur was Unhealthy at 262. Rahim Yar Khan and Khanewal had no figure at this hour.

A blank does not mean clean air. Khanewal was the worst city in Punjab on Friday afternoon, and it had no figure at 3 am on Saturday. The dashboard carries a notice that some stations have connectivity problems. Multan, the region's biggest city, read 326. It has its own page on Multan's AQI stations.

Check Bahawalpur's AQI in five steps on any phone

The Punjab EPA dashboard is free and needs no login. It opens on Lahore, so south Punjab readers need to scroll. Find your city in the ranking, read the time beside the figure, then match the number to the province's bands.

1. Open aqi.punjab.gov.pk and read the "Last updated" time.
2. Scroll past the Lahore section to the city ranking.
3. Find Bahawalpur or your own city in the list.
4. If your city has no figure, use the nearest one and check again in an hour.
5. Read the advice for your band on the health advisory page.

The AQI levels on Punjab's seven-band scale explain what each number asks you to do. If a phone app shows a different figure for Bahawalpur, it may be using another scale or sensor. Punjab EPA's figure is the provincial one.

Punjab EPA's advice depends on the band you are in

The advice changes with the number, and vulnerable people are told to act sooner. At Bahawalpur's 212, everyone should wear a mask outdoors. At Muzaffargarh's 410, everyone should stay indoors. The table shows the three bands south Punjab readings fell into on Saturday.

Vulnerable people are children, older people, pregnant women and anyone with asthma, lung or heart disease. People with COPD, a long-term lung disease, or heart disease should ask a doctor which mask to use. Pregnant women and heart patients have their own smog advice from NIH, Pakistan's National Institute of Health.

Report smoke in south Punjab through the official channels

You can report smoke from anywhere in Punjab. The province's Green Punjab app takes complaints about burning, smoky kilns, vehicles and factories, and tells you the status. The Environment Protection Department also lists a WhatsApp line for complaints and a helpline for questions.

• The Green Punjab app takes smog complaints, with status updates.
• WhatsApp 0335-9232227 is the department's complaints line.
• Helpline 1373 is for inquiries.
• Farmers should know the crop burning fine before they clear a field.

If someone has chest pain or cannot breathe, go to the nearest emergency department at once. See a doctor if a child breathes fast, or anyone has chest tightness, wheezing or a cough that will not settle.

Common questions

Where can I check Bahawalpur's AQI today?

On Punjab EPA's official dashboard, aqi.punjab.gov.pk. It is free, updates hourly and lists Bahawalpur in its city ranking.

What was Bahawalpur's AQI on 7 November 2026?

212 at 3 am, in the Unhealthy band. It was 218 at 2 pm on 6 November.

Which south Punjab city had the worst air on 7 November?

Kot Addu, at 500 at 3 am, then Muzaffargarh at 410. We advise checking Kot Addu again, because it read 184 the afternoon before.

Why is Rahim Yar Khan missing from the ranking?

It had no figure at 3 am on 7 November. The dashboard says some stations have connectivity problems. It read 212 at 2 pm on 6 November.

Is AQI 212 dangerous?

It is in Punjab's Unhealthy band. Everyone should wear a mask outdoors and avoid heavy effort, and vulnerable people should stay indoors as much as possible.

Are schools in Bahawalpur closed for smog?

We found no 2026 closure order on the morning of 7 November. Smog closure orders appear on two official pages, and your school should also tell you.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 7 November 2026, when the Punjab EPA dashboard showed its 3 am reading. Friday figures are from our reading at 2 pm on 6 November. Helplines are from the Environment Protection Department's home page. These are one-hour readings and they change every hour.