Sahiwal AQI Today: Check Punjab EPA's Reading for Sahiwal, Pakpattan and Okara, Free (7 November: 211)

Sahiwal division, with Sahiwal, Pakpattan and Okara, has spent most of this smog week near the top of Punjab's AQI ranking. Lahore gets the headlines, but at 5 pm on 7 November Sahiwal's reading was 63 points worse than Lahore's 148. Below is how to check it yourself, how the three cities compare, and how much the number moves in a day. We read every figure on Punjab EPA's dashboard ourselves.

The timing matters this weekend. Voters in PP-203 Sahiwal go to the polls on Sunday 8 November, and our by-election guide has the polling times. A morning queue outside a polling station is exactly the kind of long outdoor wait Punjab EPA warns sensitive people about.

Sahiwal's AQI at 5 pm on 7 November 2026 was 211

Punjab EPA's dashboard showed Sahiwal at 211 in its 5 pm reading on 7 November. That sits in the Unhealthy band on Punjab's seven band scale. Before dawn the same day, at 3 am, Sahiwal had read 324, in the Very Unhealthy band.

Only three Punjab cities were in the Unhealthy band at that hour, and two of them were in Sahiwal division. Kot Addu led at 212, Sahiwal followed at 211 and Pakpattan was third at 204. In the Unhealthy band, Punjab EPA asks everyone to wear a face mask outdoors and avoid heavy or long outdoor activity.

The dashboard lists Sahiwal in its city ranking only. It names monitoring stations and gives PM2.5 and PM10 figures for Lahore alone, so we cannot tell you which part of Sahiwal the reading comes from or how many monitors sit behind it.

Check Sahiwal's AQI on the Punjab EPA dashboard in five steps

Open aqi.punjab.gov.pk in any phone browser. It is free and needs no login or app. The page opens on Lahore, then ranks every Punjab city by AQI. Find Sahiwal in that list and read the update time beside it.

1. Open aqi.punjab.gov.pk and look for the "Last updated" time.
2. Scroll to the city ranking under Current AQI and find Sahiwal.
3. Read the number, then match it to a band in the table further down.
4. Use "Select District" under the trends section and pick Sahiwal to see its last 24 hours.
5. Open the health advisory page and read the advice for your band.

The same page has a "Set AQI Alert" box with Sahiwal in its district list, and it asks your browser for permission to send notifications. We did not switch alerts on for this check, so we cannot say how often they arrive. If another app shows a different number, our guide to Punjab's AQI levels explains why labels can differ between scales.

Sahiwal and nearby cities read within 32 points of each other

At 5 pm on 7 November, Sahiwal, Pakpattan and Okara were all in the top nine of Punjab's 33 ranked cities. The gap from Sahiwal at 211 to Okara at 179 was 32 points. At 3 am, Pakpattan had been the worst of the three at 363.

Okara also appears in our Kasur AQI guide, because it sits between Sahiwal and Lahore. People who travel the Lahore to Multan road through Okara, Sahiwal and Pakpattan's turn-off pass through the worst stretch of this list.

Sahiwal's readings this week swung from 211 to 324

We read the same dashboard five times between 4 and 7 November. Sahiwal's figure moved a lot between those readings, and the time of day explains most of the swing. Pre-dawn readings were the highest in most cities, and afternoon readings the lowest.

Sahiwal was lowest at 2 pm on 6 November, at 218, and highest at 3 am on 7 November, at 324. Pakpattan's range was wider, from 204 to 394. None of the three dropped below 179 in any of our five readings, so this division has not had a clean hour all week.

Our rule is simple. If the number jumps sharply from the last one, look again an hour later and glance at the nearby cities. If they are all high, the air is probably bad. If one city alone looks strange, wait for the next reading.

What Punjab EPA tells you to do at each AQI band

Punjab EPA's advice follows the band, so check the band first. Above 200, everyone should wear a mask outdoors and avoid heavy or long effort outside. Above 400, everyone should stay indoors. Vulnerable people should take care at much lower readings.

• Keep doors and windows shut on high readings.
• Wear a well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask outdoors in the Unhealthy band or worse.
• Move errands you can to the afternoon, when this week's readings were lowest.
• Report burning and smoky kilns on the Green Punjab app, and farmers should know the crop burning fine.

Vulnerable people are children, older people, pregnant women and anyone with asthma, COPD or heart disease. See a doctor if a child breathes fast, or anyone has chest tightness, wheezing or a cough that will not settle. If someone has chest pain or cannot breathe, go to the nearest emergency department at once.

Common questions

Where can I check Sahiwal's AQI today?

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

What was Sahiwal's AQI on 7 November 2026?

324 at 3 am and 211 at 5 pm. The first is Very Unhealthy and the second Unhealthy on Punjab's scale.

Is Sahiwal's air worse than Lahore's?

At 5 pm on 7 November it was, 211 against 148. At 3 am the same day Lahore was slightly worse, 345 against 324. Check both, because the order changes by the hour.

Should I wear a mask to vote in the PP-203 Sahiwal by-election?

If the morning reading is above 200, Punjab EPA's advice is a mask outdoors for everyone. Above 150, older people and anyone with asthma or heart disease should limit time outside, so go when queues are short.

Does Punjab EPA show station readings for Sahiwal?

Not on the page we read. It gives station names, PM2.5 and PM10 for Lahore only. Sahiwal appears as one city figure in the ranking.

Are schools in Sahiwal closed for smog?

We found no November 2026 closure order on the official pages we checked on 7 November. Our guide on smog school closures lists where orders appear. Monday 9 November is a public holiday for Iqbal Day anyway.

Is there a helpline for air quality complaints in Sahiwal?

Punjab EPA's home page lists a complaints WhatsApp number, 0335-9232227, and the Green Punjab app for complaints about burning, kilns, factories and smoky vehicles. Both cover all of Punjab.

How we verified this

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

Last checked at 5 pm on 7 November 2026 on the Punjab EPA air quality dashboard. Band advice is from its health advisory page. Earlier figures are from our own dated readings of the same dashboard, including our evening report for 7 November. These are one-hour readings and they change every hour.