Punjab Air Quality on 15 October 2026: Rahim Yar Khan Worst at 152, Lahore at 102
Punjab's official dashboard at 4 pm on 15 October 2026 showed Rahim Yar Khan worst at AQI 152 and Lahore at 102, down from 120 yesterday. See all 35 cities.
Short answer: At 4:00 pm on 15 October 2026, Punjab's official air quality dashboard showed Rahim Yar Khan as the worst of 35 cities at AQI 152. Lahore read 102, which the dashboard calls Moderate. At the same hour yesterday Lahore read 120, so the city's air is cleaner today.
Rahim Yar Khan was the only city in the 151 to 200 band, which the dashboard labels "Unhealthy for sensitive groups". We opened the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency's dashboard at aqi.punjab.gov.pk on 15 October 2026 and read the city ranking as it stood at 4:00 pm.
Rahim Yar Khan is the worst city at AQI 152
Rahim Yar Khan topped the ranking at 152, followed by Rajanpur at 146 and Pakpattan at 134. Muzaffargarh read 130 and Multan 127. Only Rahim Yar Khan crossed 150, so only one of the 35 cities sat in the unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups band.
The south of the province carries the top of the list. Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Multan and Bahawalpur, which read 112, are all south Punjab cities. Jhang, which led the list on 14 October at 183, read 81 today. That is a different hour from the 11:00 am reading we noted yesterday, so treat the fall as a sign and not a like-for-like change.
Lahore reads 102, down from 120 at the same hour yesterday
Lahore's city reading was 102 at 4:00 pm, in the Moderate band of 101 to 150, and just over the line from Satisfactory. The dashboard's same-hour comparison shows 120 yesterday, so Lahore is 18 points better. The Lahore figure covers 11 stations across the city.
Our 14 October reading had Lahore at 120 at 11:00 am, and the 13 October reading had it at 119 at 1:00 pm. Lahore was at 163 on 9 October. So 102 is the lowest of the four dates we have recorded. It is still no reason to relax, because the smog season has barely started.
Only 2 of 35 cities are in the Good band
The cleanest air was in Jhelum at 37 and Gujrat at 46, both in the Good band of 0 to 50. Hafizabad read 54 and Narowal 61. Sheikhupura and Chakwal each read 64. The lowest readings sit in the north and centre of the province.
Counting the 35-city ranking, 1 city was in the 151 to 200 band, 13 were Moderate, 19 were Satisfactory and 2 were Good. Nobody was in the Unhealthy band of 201 and above.
| AQI range | Band on the dashboard | Cities at 4 pm on 15 October |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 50 | Good | 2 |
| 51 to 100 | Satisfactory | 19 |
| 101 to 150 | Moderate | 13 |
| 151 to 200 | Unhealthy for sensitive groups | 1 |
| 201 and above | Unhealthy or worse | 0 |
The band counts are our tally of the dashboard ranking. The dashboard also lists Murree at 110, Rawalpindi at 83, Faisalabad at 99 and Multan at 127. The spread from Rahim Yar Khan at 152 to Jhelum at 37 is 115 points, which shows how local air quality is.
What to do on a Moderate day
On a Moderate day, most healthy adults can go about their day. Children, older people and anyone with asthma or heart disease should take more care. These are general precautions. The dashboard has a health advice list for each band, and the Punjab EPA's advice is explained in protecting children and older parents from smog.
- Check your own city on the dashboard before you plan outdoor work or exercise.
- If your city reads above 100, consider moving outdoor exercise indoors, especially for children and older people.
- Keep windows closed in the hours your city reads highest.
- On smoky days, a well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask protects better than a cloth mask.
- Check the dashboard again in the evening, because the reading changes through the day.
For the full steps to read the dashboard, see how to check Lahore's air quality on Punjab's official AQI site. For the season ahead, what actually protects you in smog season covers masks and rooms, and PMD's expectation of late-season smog risk is in its autumn outlook.
Common questions about Punjab air quality today
What is Lahore's AQI today?
Lahore read 102 at 4:00 pm on 15 October 2026 on Punjab's official dashboard, in the Moderate band. The dashboard showed 120 for the same hour yesterday.
Which Punjab city has the worst air today?
Rahim Yar Khan, at AQI 152 at 4:00 pm. Rajanpur was second at 146 and Pakpattan third at 134.
Which Punjab city has the cleanest air today?
Jhelum, at 37, followed by Gujrat at 46. Both are in the Good band of 0 to 50.
What does an AQI of 102 mean?
It is in the Moderate band of 101 to 150 on the dashboard's scale. Most healthy adults will not notice it, but sensitive people may.
Are schools closed for smog today?
We saw no school closure order on the dashboard. Closures come from the education department, and the places to look are in where the official order appears.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 15 October 2026 at 4:00 pm Pakistan time. All AQI figures, the band ranges and the same-hour comparison come from the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency's dashboard at aqi.punjab.gov.pk, which we opened on 15 October 2026. Earlier readings come from our own pages for those dates. The band counts and the Jhang comparison are our own reading of the data. We have no station-level data and cannot say what caused today's readings. The dashboard changes through the day.
About the author
Tax, Bills and Technology Writer
Ali Akhtar is a young and curious voice here at Pakistan Era. He is currently pursuing his A-Levels and has a growing interest in Pakistan’s changing industrial landscape and educational trends. Ali likes to write in a way that helps him explain and explore the world around him. His writing reflects the perspective of the new generation navigating the evolving trends of Pakistan where technology, youth innovation, and shifting opportunities are reshaping the country’s future.
