Air quality in Tashkent: Rethink your outdoor plans in the world’s 4th most polluted city
Air monitoring stations in the Uzbek capital have registered 193 on the US AQI scale as of 11am on 29 October, putting it in the unhealthy category for everyone. Here’s what the readings mean for your commute, your children’s outdoor play and your morning workout.
Tashkent has been ranked as one of the top five most polluted cities in the world, trailing only Lahore, Pakistan, Delhi, India, and Cairo, Egypt. Guidance for the current pollution category suggests limiting prolonged or strenuous outdoor activity.
Air quality in Tashkent now
- US AQI: 193 — unhealthy, at 11am Tashkent time (UTC+5).
- Main pollutant: PM2.5, with a reported concentration of 108 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³).
- AQI is an index; PM2.5 is a particle concentration, and figures are different measurements.
Change
- A matching 11am reading for 28 October stood at 185 on the US AQI. The Environment Ministry’s update from yesterday also described unhealthy conditions.
- In case you missed it, check out Tashkent’s pollution readings earlier this week.
Read more: Tashkent’s autumn smog season: Understanding the measurements
Location
IQAir’s station table displayed the following readings alongside its morning report:
- APEX: 198.
- Air-Sadaf: 189.
- Alfa Business Centre: 173.
- Afrosiab Street: 161.
These readings were all within the unhealthy category, representing data from individual monitoring stations.
Read more: How temperature inversions trap pollution over Tashkent
Outdoor plans
For US AQI 151–200, AirNow’s particle-pollution guidance recommends:
- Children, older adults and people with heart or lung conditions: avoid long or intense outdoor activities; consider postponing them or moving indoors.
- Everyone else: reduce prolonged or strenuous activity outside and take more breaks.
- Before a run, walk or step outside: check fresh readings rather than relying on this morning’s snapshot. Indoor particle levels can also be elevated.
