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Amritsar's air today: where the smoke is coming from

Amritsar's smoke report

Loading today's air reading…

The air over Amritsar is almost still right now (under 3 km/h, 30 October, 08:15 IST), so smoke from the city's own sources and from nearby fires can build up instead of blowing away. 1,329 fires were seen within 250 km in the 24 hours to 30 October, 04:18 IST.

#4 of 58fire spots within 250 km, last 30 days#5 of 57fire spots within 250 km, last 24 hours#16 of 58NO₂ over the city (traffic, industry, power plants), last 14 days#12 of 34landfill methane measured within 50 km

Ranks among the cities with pages here that have any of each: #1 has the most.

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Map of the fires around the city, last 24 hours

Each dot is one fire a NASA satellite saw. The wind is calm, so there is no upwind side: smoke from fires on every side can drift in and settle over the city. Red dots are likely crop burning, brown dots other fires. Tap a dot for the village and the time.

north: 5353north-east: 2222east: 3232south-east: 7272south: 188188south-west: 419419west: 352352north-west: 191191NESWcalm

Fires within 250 km in the last 24 hours, by direction. The wind is calm, so no side is upwind. Tap a direction to pick out its fires on the map.

What satellites see around Amritsar

What satellites and surveys see around the city. Each is a different measure, so they can't be added up into shares of the air.

Fires13,145fire spots within 250 km in the last 29 days#4 of 58 citiesNO₂: traffic and industry2.44×times the region's usual NO₂, last 14 days#16 of 58 citiesBrick kilns544brick kilns within 50 km#18 of 34 citiesLandfills1,559kg of methane an hour measured from Lakho Der Landfill#8 of 58 measured landfillsPower plants and industry2fossil-fuel power plants within 50 km, and 146 industrial areas#18 of 35 cities

Fires around Amritsar in the last 30 days

Fires around Amritsar were at their highest on the latest day, 29 October, with 1,350 fire spots within 250 km, 138 of them within 50 km.

30 September: no data30 September1 October: 160 · 242 October: 223 · 433 October: 194 · 334 October: 229 · 305 October: 209 · 196 October: 336 · 327 October: 254 · 378 October: 212 · 99 October: 295 · 810 October: 351 · 2311 October: 8 · 012 October: 160 · 4713 October: 152 · 5614 October: 234 · 6715 October: 41 · 315 October16 October: 159 · 2117 October: 476 · 9618 October: 878 · 23719 October: 644 · 13320 October: 391 · 9421 October: 598 · 8622 October: 700 · 10323 October: 899 · 5724 October: 479 · 5925 October: 655 · 3926 October: 772 · 8527 October: 924 · 9328 October: 1,162 · 13329 October: 1,350 · 13829 October1,350

within 250 km   within 50 km

13,145fire spots within 250 km in the last 29 days
1,805of them within 50 km
95%of the last 7 days' fires within 250 km were on farmland, the pattern of crop-residue burning

A fire spot is one fire seen on a day, however many satellites saw it (Pakistan-time days). The archive runs every day from 1 October 2026; before that it holds only the October-November seasons.

NO₂ pollution in Amritsar: traffic, industry and power plants

Over the last 14 days the air over Amritsar held 2.44 times the region's usual level of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), #16 of 58 cities.

1×30 September: 2.03×1 October: 2.07×2 October: 2.16×5 October: 2.29×8 October: 2.41×11 October: 2.66×13 October: 2.78×16 October: 2.98×19 October: 2.93×22 October: 2.9×25 October: 2.93×27 October: 2.6×28 October: 2.44×30 September28 October

The strongest NO₂ peak within 35 km was 3.46 times the usual level, 35 km from the city centre, near an industrial estate (Lahore).

From Sentinel-5P's TROPOMI instrument via NASA's GIBS tiles, which publish NO₂ as colour bands: a level here is good to about one band. NO₂ in big cities comes mostly from vehicle engines; peaks are named after what is nearby, which suggests a source but doesn't measure one. NO₂ window 15 October to 28 October 2026.

Brick kilns

544 brick kilns stand within 50 km of Amritsar. 111 are in Pakistan and 433 in India.

8 brick kilns in one patch, 36 km west of the centre. Each oval is a kiln.
Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
65%are the cleaner zigzag kind
#18 of 34 citiesby brick kilns within 50 km, among the cities the kiln surveys cover

Landfills

Satellites and aircraft have measured methane rising from Lakho Der Landfill, 43 km from the centre, 19 times, about 1,559 kg an hour. That puts it #8 of the 58 measured landfills in Pakistan and India.

Lakho Der Landfill from above, 43 km west of the centre
Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
19methane plumes measured
22 March 2026last measured
2landfills and dump sites mapped within 50 km

Rank among the 58 landfill records with a measured rate in Carbon Mapper's data for Pakistan and India (this extract covers only these two countries). Rates are Carbon Mapper's automatic per-plume estimates; landfill methane also carries the smell and smoke of burning rubbish.

Power plants and industry

2 fossil-fuel power plants and 146 industrial areas lie within 50 km of Amritsar. The largest, Goindwal Sahib thermal Power plant, can generate 540 MW.

Goindwal Sahib thermal Power plant from above, 38 km south-east of the centre
Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
Goindwal Sahib thermal Power plant coal, 38 km540 MW
Hubco Narowal Power Plant oil, 48 km225 MW

Within 50 km of the city centre, on either side of the border. These are lists of what is there, not measures of how much each adds to the air.

Every mapped source within 50 km of Amritsar

Tap a layer to hide it, or a site for its name.

Brick-kiln surveys, OpenStreetMap, Carbon Mapper and NASA FIRMS, on either side of the border. These map what is there, not how much each adds to the air. /sites/ · Site lists built 26 October 2026.

Fires around Amritsar this season compared with past years

Fire spots within 250 km of Amritsar from 1 October to 29 October, each year. These count Suomi NPP alone, so every year is measured by the same instrument and the years compare fairly (the 30-day chart above counts all five satellites, three VIIRS and two MODIS, so its numbers are higher).

2019: 18,05418,05420192020: 25,36925,36920202021: 15,36315,36320212022: 15,33315,33320222023: 7,7207,72020232024: 6,8686,86820242025: 5,6645,66420252026: 4,4104,410*2026 (so far)

* 2026: 1 day without Suomi NPP data: a floor

Amritsar against the other cities

Each strip holds the cities with pages here that have any of it, the most on the left; the red mark is Amritsar. They are different measures, so a high rank on one isn't a larger share of the air than a high rank on another.

Fire spots within 250 km, last 24 hours (1,329)#5 of 57
Fire spots within 250 km, last 30 days (13,145)#4 of 58
NO₂, times the usual level (14 days) (2.44×)#16 of 58
Brick kilns within 50 km (544)#18 of 34
Fossil-fuel power plants within 50 km (2)#18 of 35
Landfill methane within 50 km (1,559 kg/h)#12 of 34
Industrial areas within 50 km (146)#23 of 58

All the rankings: city rankings

Send this to someone in Amritsar

Pasted into WhatsApp or X, the link shows this map of the fires and the wind, redrawn every few hours.

Amritsar: the last 24 hours of fires within 250 km and the wind

Amritsar air today: where the smoke is coming from
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All the numbers

Every table behind this page.

Fires within 250 km by direction, last 24 hours
From theFires
north53
north-east22
east32
south-east72
south188
south-west419
west352
north-west191
Fires within 250 km in the last 7 days
DistrictProvince or stateCountryDistanceFiresOn farmland
OkaraPunjabPakistan151 km1,01895%
Nankana SahibPunjabPakistan113 km62997%
HafizabadPunjabPakistan136 km45398%
PakpattanPunjabPakistan210 km43294%
GujranwalaPunjabPakistan102 km40889%
Tarn TaranPunjabIndia41 km39997%
ShekhupuraPunjabPakistan85 km34794%
FaisalabadPunjabPakistan153 km26597%
JhangPunjabPakistan237 km226100%
AmritsarPunjabIndia30 km21495%
Fires around Amritsar this season compared with past years
SeasonFire spots
201918,054
202025,369
202115,363
202215,333
20237,720
20246,868
20255,664
2026 (so far)4,410 (1 day without Suomi NPP data: a floor)
Landfill methane records
SiteMethanePlumes seenLast seenRank
Lakho Der Landfill (Lahore, Pakistan, 43 km)1,559 kg/h1922 March 20268 of 58

Rank among the 58 landfill records with a measured rate in Carbon Mapper's data for Pakistan and India (this extract covers only these two countries). Rates are Carbon Mapper's automatic per-plume estimates; landfill methane also carries the smell and smoke of burning rubbish.

Every measure and rank

Where Amritsar stands among the 58 cities with pages here, on each measure. They are different measures, so a high rank on one isn't a larger share of the air than a high rank on another.

MeasureAmritsarRank
Fire spots within 250 km, last 30 days13,1454 of 58
NO₂, times the usual level (14 days)2.44×16 of 58
Landfill methane within 50 km1,559 kg/h12 of 34
Measured plant CO₂ within 50 kmnone measured–
Brick kilns within 50 km54418 of 34
Industrial areas within 50 km14623 of 58
Always-hot sites within 50 km0–
Ranks on today's fires

Amritsar's place among the cities, on the numbers that change with each satellite pass.

  • Fire spots upwind, last 24 hours: calm wind, no upwind direction
  • Fire spots within 250 km, last 24 hours: 5 of 57
  • Fire spots within 250 km, last 7 days: 4 of 58

All the rankings: city rankings

Questions about Amritsar's air

Where is Amritsar's smoke coming from today?

The air over Amritsar is almost still right now (under 3 km/h, 30 October, 08:15 IST), so smoke from the city's own sources and from nearby fires can build up instead of blowing away. 1,329 fires were seen within 250 km in the 24 hours to 30 October, 04:18 IST.

Are crop fires burning near Amritsar?

In the last 24 hours NASA's satellites saw 1,329 fire spots within 250 km of Amritsar, and 13,145 in the last 30 days. Satellites only see what is burning as they pass, and not under cloud.

How bad is traffic pollution in Amritsar?

Over the 14 days 15 October to 28 October 2026, nitrogen dioxide in the air over Amritsar (within 15 km) was about 2.44 times the usual level of the surrounding region, roughly 3.22 ×10¹⁵ molecules/cm². Of the 58 cities with enough clear days, it ranks 16.

How many brick kilns are there near Amritsar?

The satellite surveys count 544 brick kilns within 50 km of Amritsar.

Which landfills near Amritsar release methane?

Carbon Mapper has measured methane plumes from Lakho Der Landfill (1,559 kg/h).

Every number on this page is also in machine-readable form (JSON).

More about Amritsar

Nearby cities: Lahore (51 km), Gujranwala (87 km), Sialkot (101 km), Jammu (122 km)

Fires up to 30 October, 04:18 IST. This page updates every 15 minutes. Upwind is a guide, not proof: smoke can travel further than 250 km, the wind turns during the day, and satellites can't see fires under cloud. A fire spot is one fire, about 375 m across, however many satellites saw it. Fires: NASA FIRMS (VIIRS and MODIS). Wind: Open-Meteo's weather model. Air: Copernicus CAMS model estimates, which read low in winter.