Islamabad Air quality today

Why does the smog come every winter?

Smog is a haze of smoke, dust and harmful gases from factories, vehicles and other sources that mixes with winter fog and moisture ^[4]. In winter, a temperature inversion, a layer of warmer air sitting over cooler air near the ground, can trap this haze close to the ground ^[4]. In January 2025, Dawn reported that inversion and fog leave the capital hazy in winter ^[2].

In a Pakistan Air Quality Initiative report covered by Dawn in December 2025, pollution across the Islamabad and Rawalpindi area in the 2023 to 2024 winter rose to more than four times the monsoon average ^[1]. The report blamed stagnant winds, more vehicle use and widespread burning of waste ^[1]. A 2026 Express Tribune report on the twin cities gives the smog season as October 15 to January 15 ^[4].

Where does Islamabad's pollution come from?

PM2.5 is fine particulate matter, the type of air pollution considered most harmful to people, because it can be breathed deep into the lungs and bloodstream ^[11]. By the emissions inventory in the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative's report, covered in December 2025, transport makes 53% of the PM2.5 released in the Islamabad and Rawalpindi area ^[1]. Brick kilns add 18%, waste burning 11% and industry 9% ^[1].

In January 2025, Dawn reported that over a million vehicles had been registered with Islamabad's Excise and Taxation Department in the previous decade, and at least 500,000 more routinely enter the city ^[2]. It also named construction, garbage or compost burning and pollution from across the city's borders ^[2]. In November 2024, Dawn reported that pollution from neighbouring Rawalpindi was adding to Islamabad's PM2.5 levels ^[3].

In October 2025, the director general of Pak-EPA, the federal environment agency, named fine dust from marble cutting and polishing among the causes of air pollution in the smog season ^[6].

How bad does it get?

The Pakistan Air Quality Initiative's report found that Islamabad went over Pakistan's legal pollution limits on 168 days in 2024, against 199 days in Rawalpindi ^[1]. It estimated that long-term exposure costs Islamabad residents 4.1 years of life expectancy ^[1].

On a Friday in November 2024, Pak-EPA measured PM2.5 at 186 µg/m³ over Islamabad, more than five times the national limit of 35 µg/m³ ^[3]. Pak-EPA data showed five very unhealthy days in December 2024 and two in November ^[2]. On December 22, 2024, PM2.5 went above 200 µg/m³ ^[2].

Across the country, IQAir's 2025 report ranked Pakistan the most polluted country of the year, with PM2.5 up to 13 times the WHO level of less than 5 µg/m³ ^[8].

What is being done about it?

In October 2025, Pak-EPA and the city administration demolished brick kilns in sectors H-16 and H-17 that kept running after an October 20 deadline to switch to zigzag technology, a cleaner kiln design ^[5]. The same month, Pak-EPA sealed polluting marble factories near sector B-17 ^[6]. By December 2025, Pak-EPA said all 30 brick kilns in the capital used zigzag technology ^[7].

From December 1, 2025, more than 1,000 diesel vehicles were inspected at Islamabad's entry points, and more than 80 were impounded for breaking emission and noise standards ^[7]. Four new emission testing stations were set up in the city ^[7]. Longer-term plans named in December 2025 include the Electric Vehicle Policy 2025, phasing out old vehicles and working with the provinces on smog that crosses their borders ^[7].

How to protect yourself in Islamabad

On days when the air is poor, spend less time being active outdoors, and be active when the air quality is better ^[9]. People in sensitive groups are advised to cut back on long or heavy exertion ^[9]. Plan walks, runs and bike rides on routes away from busy roads, and set your car's ventilation to recirculate on busy roads ^[9].

Keeping windows and doors shut, with air conditioning, can cut how much particle pollution gets indoors when outdoor levels are high ^[10]. Indoor HEPA air filters have also been shown to lower particle levels indoors ^[10].