SmogRank / Episodes / India

North-western India and Pakistan, July 2026

For 4 days, from 26 to 29 July 2026, 8 cities in India and Pakistan had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Ropar, Punjab, India: 185.0 µg/m³ on 26 July, about 9.9× its usual 18.7. Ended 29 July.

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
Days426 to 29 July 2026
Worst day26 July6 cities counted
Furthest above usual9.9×Ropar

Day by day

26 July 6 cities at twice their usual or more
HisarBhiwāniSirsaJīndCharkhi DādriJhunjhunūnChūruRohtakKaithalNarnaulHanumāngarhBahadurgarhPanipatSonīpatNajafgarhBawānaDhāruheraSīkarPatiālaNarelaMānesarBhiwadiKarnālThānesarGurugramBāghpatAya NagarDelhiDera MāndiLoniGobindgarhKhannaAmbālaNagīnaNoidaFaridabadLudhianaSri GanganagarGhāziābādPalwalMohaliYamuna NagarGreater NoidaDādriChandigarhPanchkulaMeerutJaipurMuzaffarnagarHāpurBaddiJalandharDausaBulandshahrKhurjaBikanerVrindāvanNāgaurAmritsarBharatpurAjmerLahoreRishīkeshKarauliAgraMorādābādFīrozābādNandriBahawalpurBareillyMultanJaisalmerDehradunFaisalabadAlwarBathindaDhaulpurFatehābādNohanRopar
23 Jul24252627282930311 Aug
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

RoparRopar, 23 July: no readingRopar, 24 July: 116.0 µg/m³Ropar, 25 July: 187.0 µg/m³Ropar, 26 July: 185.0 µg/m³, 9.9× its usual 18.7Ropar, 27 July: 136.0 µg/m³, 7.6× its usual 18.0Ropar, 28 July: 31.9 µg/m³Ropar, 29 July: 45.7 µg/m³, 2.6× its usual 17.6Ropar, 30 July: no readingRopar, 31 July: no readingRopar, 1 August: no readingNohanNohan, 23 July: no readingNohan, 24 July: 116.0 µg/m³Nohan, 25 July: 187.0 µg/m³Nohan, 26 July: 185.0 µg/m³, 9.9× its usual 18.7Nohan, 27 July: 136.0 µg/m³, 7.6× its usual 18.0Nohan, 28 July: 31.9 µg/m³Nohan, 29 July: 45.7 µg/m³, 2.6× its usual 17.6Nohan, 30 July: no readingNohan, 31 July: no readingNohan, 1 August: no readingFatehābādFatehābād, 23 July: 20.3 µg/m³Fatehābād, 24 July: 47.2 µg/m³Fatehābād, 25 July: no readingFatehābād, 26 July: 113.0 µg/m³, 5.2× its usual 21.8Fatehābād, 27 July: 63.4 µg/m³, 2.9× its usual 21.6Fatehābād, 28 July: 50.2 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 21.5Fatehābād, 29 July: 46.5 µg/m³, 2.9× its usual 16.2Fatehābād, 30 July: 32.5 µg/m³Fatehābād, 31 July: 26.7 µg/m³Fatehābād, 1 August: 27.9 µg/m³DhaulpurDhaulpur, 23 July: 33.2 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 24 July: no readingDhaulpur, 25 July: 31.3 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 26 July: 75.4 µg/m³, 2.2× its usual 33.6Dhaulpur, 27 July: 18.7 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 28 July: 116.0 µg/m³, 3.4× its usual 34.0Dhaulpur, 29 July: 121.0 µg/m³, 3.7× its usual 33.1Dhaulpur, 30 July: 56.5 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 31 July: 24.1 µg/m³Dhaulpur, 1 August: 22.3 µg/m³AlwarAlwar, 23 July: no readingAlwar, 24 July: 43.1 µg/m³Alwar, 25 July: 45.8 µg/m³Alwar, 26 July: 45.5 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 19.1Alwar, 27 July: 38.8 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 18.9Alwar, 28 July: 39.4 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 18.7Alwar, 29 July: 49.0 µg/m³, 2.6× its usual 18.7Alwar, 30 July: 48.2 µg/m³Alwar, 31 July: 63.6 µg/m³Alwar, 1 August: 57.9 µg/m³BathindaBathinda, 23 July: 15.3 µg/m³Bathinda, 24 July: 33.6 µg/m³Bathinda, 25 July: 25.5 µg/m³Bathinda, 26 July: 32.2 µg/m³, 2.2× its usual 14.6Bathinda, 27 July: 26.3 µg/m³Bathinda, 28 July: 47.2 µg/m³, 3.1× its usual 15.0Bathinda, 29 July: 20.9 µg/m³Bathinda, 30 July: 31.1 µg/m³Bathinda, 31 July: 30.0 µg/m³Bathinda, 1 August: 22.1 µg/m³FaisalabadFaisalabad, 23 July: 52.2 µg/m³Faisalabad, 24 July: 42.8 µg/m³Faisalabad, 25 July: 41.8 µg/m³Faisalabad, 26 July: 81.4 µg/m³Faisalabad, 27 July: 112.0 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 49.6Faisalabad, 28 July: 65.8 µg/m³Faisalabad, 29 July: 48.4 µg/m³Faisalabad, 30 July: 56.1 µg/m³Faisalabad, 31 July: 53.4 µg/m³Faisalabad, 1 August: 52.2 µg/m³DehradunDehradun, 23 July: 9.9 µg/m³Dehradun, 24 July: 11.2 µg/m³Dehradun, 25 July: 17.0 µg/m³Dehradun, 26 July: no readingDehradun, 27 July: 27.9 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 12.3Dehradun, 28 July: no readingDehradun, 29 July: 20.3 µg/m³Dehradun, 30 July: 17.3 µg/m³Dehradun, 31 July: 10.5 µg/m³Dehradun, 1 August: 13.1 µg/m³23 Jul24252627282930311 Aug
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
RoparPunjab, India3 185.026 July18.79.9×
NohanPunjab, India3 185.026 July18.79.9×
FatehābādHaryana, India4 113.026 July21.85.2×
DhaulpurRajasthan, India3 121.029 July33.13.7×
BathindaPunjab, India2 47.228 July15.03.1×
AlwarRajasthan, India4 49.029 July18.72.6×
FaisalabadPunjab, Pakistan1 112.027 July49.62.3×
DehradunUttarakhand, India1 27.927 July12.32.3×

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 56 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, July 2026: 8 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 26 to 29 July 2026, smogrank.com/episodes/2026-07-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.