Pakistan · Khyber Pakhtunkhwa · 11 cities
Air quality in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Battagram has the cleanest air of the 11 cities we track in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (AQI 63, Moderate), and Dera Ismail Khan the worst (AQI 394, Hazardous). Battagram has the most tree cover, at 44.5% — #4 of 126 cities measured in Pakistan.
Every city is measured the same way, over the same 2 km around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
Average right now
AQI 204
Very unhealthy
- cities tracked
- 11
- average tree cover
- 16.8%
- Pakistan: 12.5%
- worst air now: Dera Ismail Khan
- 394
- cleanest air now: Battagram
- 63
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa · average AQI 204
Air quality today across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, city by city
| Peshawar | 233Very unhealthy | 3.8% | 129K | #113 of 126 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bannu | 197Unhealthy | 14.0% | 81.7K | #37 of 126 |
| Dera Ismail Khan | 394Hazardous | 9.7% | 111K | #63 of 126 |
| Battagram | 63Moderate | 44.5% | — | #4 of 126 |
| Mingora | 81Moderate | 7.4% | 70.1K | #89 of 126 |
| Mardan | 181Unhealthy | 8.5% | 99.0K | #75 of 126 |
| Abbottabad | 167Unhealthy | 36.4% | 11.3K | #5 of 126 |
| Kohat | 212Very unhealthy | 19.1% | 81.4K | #15 of 126 |
| Tordher | 168Unhealthy | 13.6% | 82.9K | #39 of 126 |
| Charsadda | 280Very unhealthy | 13.0% | 101K | #46 of 126 |
| Shabqadar | 265Very unhealthy | 15.3% | 93.3K | #29 of 126 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 2 km of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery; the rank compares every city measured in Pakistan.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost?
Since 2001, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has lost about 4,830 hectares of forest (about 6,800 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 465 hectares (9.6%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 4,830 haabout 6,800 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 465 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 5 ha | 92 ha | 97 ha |
| 2002 | 21 ha | 244 ha | 265 ha |
| 2003 | 34 ha | 428 ha | 462 ha |
| 2004 | 20 ha | 410 ha | 430 ha |
| 2005 | 15 ha | 341 ha | 356 ha |
| 2006 | 84 ha | 472 ha | 555 ha |
| 2007 | 37 ha | 346 ha | 383 ha |
| 2008 | 30 ha | 559 ha | 589 ha |
| 2009 | 18 ha | 271 ha | 289 ha |
| 2010 | 33 ha | 236 ha | 269 ha |
| 2011 | 10 ha | 319 ha | 329 ha |
| 2012 | 9 ha | 111 ha | 120 ha |
| 2013 | 15 ha | 38 ha | 53 ha |
| 2014 | 9 ha | 22 ha | 32 ha |
| 2015 | 2 ha | under 1 ha | 2 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 11 ha | 138 ha | 149 ha |
| 2018 | 9 ha | 42 ha | 50 ha |
| 2019 | 12 ha | 43 ha | 55 ha |
| 2020 | 11 ha | 29 ha | 40 ha |
| 2021 | 7 ha | 27 ha | 34 ha |
| 2022 | 8 ha | 27 ha | 35 ha |
| 2023 | 37 ha | 53 ha | 89 ha |
| 2024 | 26 ha | 44 ha | 70 ha |
| 2025 | 4 ha | 75 ha | 80 ha |
Forest loss has stayed about the same: about 61 hectares a year in 2021–2025, against 59 hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2008, when about 589 hectares of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?
- Loggingcan grow back55% · 2,670 ha
- Wildfirescan grow back21% · 1,020 ha
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good6% · 292 ha
Also: towns and roads, storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. How it's measured
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