Karachi experienced sharply contrasting air quality on Wednesday, as conditions improved in most parts of the city while one area saw a worrying decline. The Garden district recorded a sudden rise in pollution, pushing air quality into the “Very Unhealthy” range.
Air quality monitors showed Garden registering an AQI of 175, a dangerous increase that poses serious health risks for residents of all ages. Such levels are considered an emergency and can affect even healthy individuals.
Meanwhile, other areas showed signs of improvement. University Road recorded an AQI of 99 and Shahra e Faisal stood at 100, both falling under the “Moderate” category. North Nazimabad also improved but remained in the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” range with an AQI of 147.
The three day outlook suggests overall conditions may gradually improve, though sudden spikes like the one seen in Garden indicate that the situation remains unpredictable.
Yasir Husain, director of the Climate Action Center Karachi, described the city’s air as largely stagnant and polluted. He said the main contributors include the heavy presence of petrol and diesel vehicles on the roads along with dust from ongoing construction work in several major areas.
He advised residents, particularly children, to wear face masks when outdoors to reduce exposure to harmful PM2.5 particles.
This report has been prepared in collaboration with Climate Action Center Karachi.
Air quality is measured using the Air Quality Index, which is divided into several categories. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered Good, indicating clean air with little to no health risk. Levels from 51 to 100 fall under Moderate, where air quality is acceptable but may affect highly sensitive people.
An AQI of 101 to 150 is classified as “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”, meaning individuals with respiratory conditions may experience discomfort. The range of 151 to 200 is considered Unhealthy, where everyone may begin to feel health effects.
Readings between 201 and 300 are labelled “Very Unhealthy” and signal emergency conditions, while levels above 300 are deemed Hazardous and pose serious health risks to the entire population.