Punjab Air Quality on 10 October 2026: Jhang Worst at 197, Lahore Down to 126

Short answer: At 5 am on Saturday 10 October 2026, Jhang had the worst air in Punjab, with an AQI of 197, according to the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) live ranking. Rajanpur (188) and Sahiwal (172) came next. Lahore was 24th of 31 districts, at 126, in the "moderate" band and down from 134 at the same hour on Friday.

We read the ranking on the EPA's official site, aqi.punjab.gov.pk, at about 5:40 am. Lahore usually gets the smog headlines. This morning the dirtiest air was in central and south Punjab, far from the capital.

Jhang, Rajanpur and Sahiwal had Punjab's worst air at 5 am

Jhang topped the EPA's city ranking at 5 am on 10 October with an AQI of 197, just below the "unhealthy" band that starts at 201. Rajanpur was at 188 and Sahiwal at 172. In all, 16 of the 31 ranked districts were in the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" band, from 151 to 200.

The AQI, or Air Quality Index, turns several pollutants into one number from 0 to 500. A higher number means dirtier air. The EPA updates it every hour from its monitoring stations.

DG Khan (155), Narowal (154), Kot Addu (154), Sargodha (152), Gujranwala (152) and Bhakkar (152) completed the 16 in that band. Everything from Murree at 146 downwards was "moderate".

Lahore improved to 126, its cleanest reading of the week

Lahore's AQI was 126 at 5 am on 10 October, in the "moderate" band. That is 8 points better than the 134 recorded at the same hour on Friday. The EPA's seven day record puts Lahore's lowest reading at 125, so this is about as clean as the city's air has been all week.

Lahore ranked 24th of the 31 districts. Talagang (127) was just above it, and Mandi Bahauddin matched it at 126. Rawalpindi and Wazirabad shared the cleanest reading in the ranking, at 120.

On Friday evening the picture was worse. Lahore stood at 163 at 7 pm, as set out in Lahore's air quality on 9 October. Night readings often swing, so one good hour is not a trend.

Multan Road and Shahdara are still Lahore's worst spots

Inside Lahore, Multan Road had the highest reading at 5 am, at 158, followed by Shahdara at 156. Both are in the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" band. Safari Park was cleanest at 73, and Wagha Border and a Gulberg III station were at 94.

Wagha Border has swung the most. It was Lahore's worst station on Friday evening at 191, and among the cleanest by 5 am. Multan Road again had the highest nitrogen dioxide, a gas that mostly comes from vehicle exhaust. The site now lists 11 Lahore stations, one more than the 10 it describes.

Rain from Saturday night may help clear the air

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) expects rain, wind and isolated hail in Lahore, Faisalabad, Jhang, Sahiwal and much of Punjab on 10, 11 and 13 October. Rain washes dust and smoke out of the air, so readings could ease. But a short storm often clears the air only for a day or two.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department's (PMD) 9 October forecast puts the first storms in Lahore, Kasur, Faisalabad and Multan on Saturday evening or night. Jhang, the worst district this morning, is also on NDMA's list. The storms are the same westerly system that PMD earlier forecast for Murree, Rawalpindi and Attock.

The smog season itself is only beginning. The EPA says Lahore's smog runs mainly from October to February. Traffic police and the EPA have started joint checks on smoky vehicles, covered in Punjab's crackdown on smoke-emitting vehicles.

What the EPA advises at these readings

At an AQI between 151 and 200, the EPA says children, older people and anyone with asthma or heart and lung disease should avoid long outdoor exertion and keep their inhaler or medicine within reach. Between 101 and 150, the same groups should cut down long or heavy outdoor activity.

1. Check your district on aqi.punjab.gov.pk before going out. The ranking updates every hour.
2. In Jhang, Rajanpur, Sahiwal or any district above 150, move children's outdoor play and long walks to later in the day.
3. Keep inhalers and regular medicine at hand for anyone with asthma or a heart condition.
4. Keep windows shut in the early morning if your area is above 150.
5. Report smoke from a factory or brick kiln to the EPA's 1373 helpline.

More detail for each band is in protecting children and older parents from smog in Punjab. The smoke reporting route, including WhatsApp, is in reporting a smoking brick kiln or factory.

Common questions

Which city in Punjab has the worst air today?

At 5 am on 10 October 2026, Jhang, at an AQI of 197. Rajanpur (188) and Sahiwal (172) were next. The ranking changes every hour, so check the live site.

What is Lahore's AQI today?

It was 126, "moderate", at 5 am on 10 October. That was 24th of 31 Punjab districts and 8 points better than the same hour on Friday.

Which area of Lahore has the worst air right now?

Multan Road, at 158 at 5 am, followed by Shahdara at 156. Safari Park was cleanest at 73.

Will rain improve Punjab's air quality?

It may, for a short time. NDMA expects rain and isolated hail across much of Punjab on 10, 11 and 13 October. Rain washes pollution out, but readings often climb again within a day or two.

Where can I check my city's AQI?

On Punjab EPA's official site, aqi.punjab.gov.pk, which ranks the districts and updates hourly. The steps are in checking Lahore's air quality on Punjab's official AQI site.

How we verified this

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

Last checked at about 5:40 am PKT on Saturday 10 October 2026, using the 5:00 am readings. The city ranking and Lahore's same hour figure for Friday are from Punjab EPA's AQI Punjab home page. Lahore's station readings, weekly low and health advice are from the EPA's Lahore AQI page. Rain days are from NDMA's weather advisory dated 9 October 2026, and storm timing from PMD's daily forecast of the same evening. AQI readings change every hour.