Air quality
Air quality in Mardan today
Updated
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (US AQI 150) People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. Model estimate for Mon, Oct 26, 12:35 am (19:35 UTC).
Live AQI, PM2.5, PM10 and ozone for Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, with a 48-hour forecast and the best time to be outside.
- US AQI now
- 150 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
- PM2.5
- 84 µg/m³ 5.6× WHO 24-h guideline
- PM10
- 89 µg/m³
- Ozone
- 11 µg/m³
Air quality in Mardan right now
Right now the modelled US Air Quality Index for Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan is 150, which falls in the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" band (up to 150). People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
PM2.5 is 84 µg/m³, 5.6 times the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³; PM10 is 89 µg/m³ against a guideline of 45; ozone is 11 µg/m³ (below the WHO 8-hour level of 100); nitrogen dioxide is 58 µg/m³ (above the 24-hour guideline of 25).
Mardan vs the rest of Pakistan
Across 52 Pakistan cities we track, the average US AQI right now is 121 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Mardan at 150 is 29 points worse than average.
It ranks 42 of 52 from cleanest to most polluted; the cleanest is Quetta (58) and the most polluted Chak Jhumra (158).
For context, the median across 3,909 cities worldwide is 56.
Air quality in cities near Mardan
| City | Distance | US AQI | Category | PM2.5 µg/m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peshawar | 48 km | 138 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 62.9 |
| Mingora | 71 km | 61 | Moderate | 22.5 |
| Battagram | 104 km | 58 | Moderate | 15.8 |
| Islamabad | 106 km | 95 | Moderate | 43.2 |
| Abbottabad | 107 km | 87 | Moderate | 41.2 |
| Rawalpindi | 114 km | 95 | Moderate | 43.2 |
| Muzaffarābād | 132 km | 65 | Moderate | 19.5 |
| Jalālābād | 149 km | 79 | Moderate | 18.7 |
Model vs measured
We found no measured PM2.5 sensor cell within 25 km of Mardan, so the numbers on this page are model estimates. Models capture regional pollution well but can miss very local sources such as a busy road or a nearby fire.
Wildfire smoke
PM2.5 is forecast to reach 84 µg/m³ in the next 24 hours while NASA satellites detected 71 fire hotspots within 300 km in the last day (nearest about 83 km away). Smoke is a likely contributor: keep windows closed, run an air purifier or HVAC filter, and check the fire map before heading out.
Advice for sensitive groups
At 150, children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with asthma, COPD or heart disease should limit time outdoors, especially strenuous activity. A well-fitted N95/FFP2 mask cuts particle exposure; it does not filter ozone.
What the US AQI numbers mean
| US AQI | Category | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 0-50 | Good | Air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no risk; a good time for outdoor activity. |
| 51-100 | Moderate | Acceptable for most people. Unusually sensitive people should consider shortening long or heavy exertion outdoors. |
| 101-150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | People with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens should cut back on prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. |
| 151-200 | Unhealthy | Everyone should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors; sensitive groups should avoid it and keep windows closed. |
| 201-300 | Very Unhealthy | Health alert: everyone should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors, and sensitive groups should stay indoors. |
| 301-500 | Hazardous | Emergency conditions: everyone should avoid all outdoor physical activity and stay indoors with filtered air if possible. The scale tops out at 500; heavier dust or smoke is shown as 500. |
Values on this page are modelled by CAMS (Copernicus) and served by Open-Meteo; they are estimates for the area around the city centre, not readings from an official monitor.
Nearby cities
More for Mardan
Air quality elsewhere
Data: Open-Meteo Air Quality API, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), NASA FIRMS.