Islamabad AQI 3 November 2026: 163 Unhealthy, PM2.5 at 2.3 Times the Limit (Pak-EPA Table)

Short answer: Islamabad's air was Unhealthy on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. The Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) gave fine dust, called PM2.5, an AQI of 163 for the day. The 24 hour average of PM2.5 was 79.3 micrograms per cubic metre. That is more than twice the national limit of 35.

Pak-EPA posted the table on its website on 4 November under "Air Quality Index of Islamabad". We opened the table image on environment.gov.pk in the early hours of 5 November. The three gases it also measures, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, all stayed in the Good band. Fine dust was the only problem, and it got worse as the day went on.

PM2.5 was 79.3, more than twice the 35 limit

Islamabad's PM2.5 averaged 79.3 micrograms per cubic metre over 24 hours on 3 November. The National Environmental Quality Standard (NEQS), the legal limit Pak-EPA uses, is 35. So the city's air carried about 2.3 times the allowed level of fine dust.

PM2.5 means particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres. They are small enough to pass deep into the lungs and the blood. A microgram per cubic metre is a tiny weight of dust in one cubic metre of air. Here is the full table, in Pak-EPA's own figures:

All values are in micrograms per cubic metre. The AQI is the number Pak-EPA printed beside each one.

Fine dust rose through the day to 85 at night

Pak-EPA splits the day into three eight hour blocks. PM2.5 was 74.2 from midnight to 8 am, 78.8 from 8 am to 4 pm, and 85 from 4 pm to midnight. Every block was above the 35 limit, and the night block was the worst.

Carbon monoxide also jumped in the evening, to 4,549.5. That is still under the 5,000 limit, but it is close. Evening traffic and wood or gas fires in homes are common sources at that hour, though Pak-EPA's table does not name a cause.

Islamabad's air was worse than on 29 October

On 29 October Pak-EPA gave PM2.5 an AQI of 151, with a 24 hour average of 56.7. On 3 November the AQI was 163 and the average 79.3. That is a rise of 22.6 micrograms in five days, by our arithmetic.

The Islamabad AQI for 29 October has that day's full table. Pak-EPA does not post every day, so there are gaps between the two dates. We could not find tables for 30 October to 2 November.

Pak-EPA's number differs from Punjab's dashboard and phone apps

Pak-EPA is the only body that publishes an official AQI for Islamabad. Its table carries a warning that any other data on Islamabad's air "is neither verified nor approved by the Pak EPA". Phone apps and private sensors often show different numbers.

Rawalpindi is a different case. It sits in Punjab, so the Punjab EPA dashboard covers it. At 3 am on 5 November that dashboard put Rawalpindi at 147, while Lahore was at 395. The two agencies use different stations and methods, so the numbers should not be compared one for one. The day before, the Punjab AQI on 4 November also showed the north of the province far cleaner than Lahore and the south.

To read Pak-EPA's table yourself:

1. Open environment.gov.pk and look at the Latest News box on the home page.
2. Click the item called "Air Quality Index of Islamabad".
3. Open the table image and check the date printed at the top.
4. Read the PM2.5 column first. The AQI row at the bottom gives the band.
5. Compare the 24 hour average with the NEQS row, which is the legal limit.

People with asthma or heart disease should limit time outside

An AQI of 151 to 200 is Unhealthy. Healthy adults may feel little, but children, older people, pregnant women and anyone with asthma, lung or heart disease can react. The safest step is to cut long or hard activity outdoors, especially in the evening when Islamabad's dust peaked.

• Move morning walks and outdoor exercise indoors on Unhealthy days.
• Close windows in the evening, when PM2.5 was highest on 3 November.
• Use a fitted N95 or KN95 mask outdoors. A cloth mask does little against fine dust.
• Keep inhalers and medicines close, and see a doctor if breathing gets harder.

The NIH smog advice for pregnant women and heart and asthma patients lists the warning signs that need a doctor. Pak-EPA also hosted a national clean air conference in late October, which ended with an Islamabad Clean Air Compact between federal and provincial agencies. That compact sets a framework, not a fix for this week's air.

Common questions

What was Islamabad's AQI on 3 November 2026?

Pak-EPA gave PM2.5 an AQI of 163, which is Unhealthy. The other three pollutants were Good.

How far above the limit was Islamabad's PM2.5?

The 24 hour average was 79.3 against a limit of 35, about 2.3 times the limit.

When was Islamabad's air worst on 3 November?

From 4 pm to midnight, when PM2.5 reached 85.

Is the Pak-EPA reading the official one for Islamabad?

Yes. Pak-EPA says other sources for Islamabad's air are not verified or approved by it.

Does Pak-EPA post the AQI every day?

No. Tables appear on some days and not others. We found tables for 29 October and 3 November, but none for the days between.

Why does a phone app show a different number?

Apps use their own sensors and formulas. Pak-EPA's table is the government's reading for Islamabad.

How we verified this

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

We read Pak-EPA's "Air Quality Index of Islamabad" item, posted on environment.gov.pk on 4 November 2026, and its table image dated 3-11-2026, in the early hours of 5 November 2026. The 29 October figures come from Pak-EPA's table for that day. The times-the-limit figures and the five day change are our own arithmetic. The Rawalpindi reading is from the Punjab EPA dashboard at 3 am on 5 November.