SmogRank / Episodes / India

North-western India and Pakistan, August 2025

For 3 days, from 20 to 22 August 2025, 8 cities in India and Pakistan had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Jhānsi, Uttar Pradesh, India: 74.7 µg/m³ on 21 August, about 2.5× its usual 29.3. Ended 22 August.

Few fires were detected near these cities on those days. Spreads like this usually come from still weather trapping smoke from heating, traffic and industry, or from dust.
Cities reached8in 2 countries
Days320 to 22 August 2025
Worst day21 August6 cities counted
Furthest above usual2.5×Jhānsi

Day by day

21 August 6 cities at twice their usual or more
ChūruJhunjhunūnSīkarJaipurHanumāngarhAlwarBhiwadiNāgaurDausaBikanerAjmerNajafgarhBawānaNarelaDera MāndiDelhiTonkLoniNoidaGhāziābādGreater NoidaPatiālaDādriSawai MadhopurBharatpurKarauliVrindāvanMeerutKhannaGobindgarhHāpurKhurjaBulandshahrLudhianaNandriMuzaffarnagarBūndiJodhpurMohaliBhilwaraChandigarhPāliAgraJalandharKotaBaddiRājsamandBārānFīrozābādDehradunGwaliorRishīkeshMorādābādFaisalabadJalorMultanBareillyJaisalmerBārmerAya NagarNohanRoparBathindaDhaulpurSri GanganagarBahawalpurJhānsi
17 Aug1819202122232425
Every measured city in the area, coloured by its PM2.5 that day; a dark ring marks a city at twice its usual or more. Bars: cities counted each day, coloured by their median level. Choose a day or press play; without JavaScript, the days link to that day's world ranking.

How it spread

BahawalpurBahawalpur, 17 August: 31.5 µg/m³Bahawalpur, 18 August: 34.0 µg/m³Bahawalpur, 19 August: 50.0 µg/m³Bahawalpur, 20 August: 48.1 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 24.0Bahawalpur, 21 August: 45.3 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 22.6Bahawalpur, 22 August: 56.4 µg/m³, 2.5× its usual 22.6Bahawalpur, 23 August: 25.3 µg/m³Bahawalpur, 24 August: 11.5 µg/m³Bahawalpur, 25 August: 38.3 µg/m³BathindaBathinda, 17 August: 37.5 µg/m³Bathinda, 18 August: 34.7 µg/m³Bathinda, 19 August: 42.8 µg/m³Bathinda, 20 August: 42.9 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 18.0Bathinda, 21 August: 37.4 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 18.0Bathinda, 22 August: 28.4 µg/m³Bathinda, 23 August: 12.7 µg/m³Bathinda, 24 August: 9.8 µg/m³Bathinda, 25 August: no readingRoparRopar, 17 August: 17.2 µg/m³Ropar, 18 August: 28.4 µg/m³Ropar, 19 August: 24.0 µg/m³Ropar, 20 August: 35.1 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 17.4Ropar, 21 August: 32.6 µg/m³Ropar, 22 August: 40.9 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 17.3Ropar, 23 August: 20.7 µg/m³Ropar, 24 August: no readingRopar, 25 August: no readingNohanNohan, 17 August: 17.2 µg/m³Nohan, 18 August: 28.4 µg/m³Nohan, 19 August: 24.0 µg/m³Nohan, 20 August: 35.1 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 17.4Nohan, 21 August: 32.6 µg/m³Nohan, 22 August: 40.9 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 17.3Nohan, 23 August: 20.7 µg/m³Nohan, 24 August: no readingNohan, 25 August: no readingJhānsiJhānsi, 17 August: 71.0 µg/m³Jhānsi, 18 August: 105.0 µg/m³Jhānsi, 19 August: 86.8 µg/m³Jhānsi, 20 August: 40.3 µg/m³Jhānsi, 21 August: 74.7 µg/m³, 2.5× its usual 29.3Jhānsi, 22 August: 16.0 µg/m³Jhānsi, 23 August: 13.8 µg/m³Jhānsi, 24 August: 14.9 µg/m³Jhānsi, 25 August: 19.5 µg/m³Sri GanganagarSri Ganganagar, 17 August: 57.3 µg/m³Sri Ganganagar, 18 August: 56.3 µg/m³Sri Ganganagar, 19 August: 37.6 µg/m³Sri Ganganagar, 20 August: 37.0 µg/m³Sri Ganganagar, 21 August: 54.7 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 24.1Sri Ganganagar, 22 August: 57.6 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 24.1Sri Ganganagar, 23 August: 26.4 µg/m³Sri Ganganagar, 24 August: 12.0 µg/m³Sri Ganganagar, 25 August: no readingDhaulpurDhaulpur, 17 August: 73.8 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 18 August: 55.0 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 19 August: 18.3 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 20 August: 34.7 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 21 August: 54.7 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 22.7Dhaulpur, 22 August: 19.4 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 23 August: 67.9 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 24 August: no readingDhaulpur, 25 August: 38.5 µg/m³Aya NagarAya Nagar, 17 August: 38.4 µg/m³Aya Nagar, 18 August: 39.8 µg/m³Aya Nagar, 19 August: 13.6 µg/m³Aya Nagar, 20 August: 21.1 µg/m³Aya Nagar, 21 August: 51.3 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 24.7Aya Nagar, 22 August: 20.4 µg/m³Aya Nagar, 23 August: 16.2 µg/m³Aya Nagar, 24 August: 14.5 µg/m³Aya Nagar, 25 August: 15.6 µg/m³17 Aug1819202122232425
Every counted city, in the order the episode reached them, 3 days before to 3 after. Each square is a day, coloured by that day's PM2.5; outlined: at twice the city's usual or more.
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

Every city it reached

CityDaysHighestUsualAbove usual
JhānsiUttar Pradesh, India1 74.721 August29.32.5×
BahawalpurPunjab, Pakistan3 56.422 August22.62.5×
Sri GanganagarRajasthan, India2 57.622 August24.12.4×
DhaulpurRajasthan, India1 54.721 August22.72.4×
BathindaPunjab, India2 42.920 August18.02.4×
RoparPunjab, India2 40.922 August17.32.4×
NohanPunjab, India2 40.922 August17.32.4×
Aya NagarDelhi, India1 51.321 August24.72.1×

Daily means in µg/m³, over the days each city counted in this episode. Highest: its highest of those days. Usual: the city's median for the time of year of that day (its days within 21 days of the date, every year, leaving out the week around it). Above usual: its highest day against that, with a usual under 5 µg/m³ taken as 5.

Against other episodes in India and Pakistan

Number 59 of 62 episodes in India and Pakistan since our records began, by cities reached.

Bars: cities reached; colour: the level of the episode's highest daily reading. All 62.

Use this page

SmogRank, North-western India and Pakistan, August 2025: 8 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 20 to 22 August 2025, smogrank.com/episodes/2025-08-north-western-india-and-pakistan (accessed 5 October 2026).

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You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms.

An episode is a run of days when many cities close to each other (four or more within 350 km on a day, 8 or more in all) each had a daily PM2.5 mean of at least 25 µg/m³ and at least 2 times their usual for that time of year. Found in our own measurements, not picked by hand. How we find episodes. Values are each city's daily mean of its own monitors; causes are the usual kinds for a pattern like this, not a confirmed source. Fire detections from NASA FIRMS; smoke maps from NOAA HMS.