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

Karachi's smoke report

Loading today's air reading…

Right now the wind over Karachi blows from the north at 11 km/h (weather model, 30 October, 07:45 PKT). In the 24 hours to 30 October, 03:48 PKT NASA's satellites saw 11 fires within 250 km upwind of Karachi, in the direction the wind is coming from, out of 117 within 250 km in every direction. The largest numbers were in Sanghar and Nawabshah. About 73% were on farmland, the pattern of crop-residue burning.

#1 of 35fossil-fuel power plants within 50 km#2 of 58NO₂ over the city (traffic, industry, power plants), last 14 days#8 of 58industrial areas within 50 km#10 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. Red dots are upwind, in the direction the wind is coming from, so their smoke is the likeliest to be reaching the city now; grey dots are in other directions. The moving lines show the wind blowing towards the city. Tap a dot for the village and the time.

north: 22north-east: 1717east: 9191south-east: 66south: 00south-west: 00west: 00north-west: 11NESW

Fires within 250 km in the last 24 hours, by direction. Red: the side the wind is coming from (the north). Tap a direction to pick out its fires on the map.

What satellites see around Karachi

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.

Fires998fire spots within 250 km in the last 29 days#45 of 58 citiesNO₂: traffic and industry4.55×times the region's usual NO₂, last 14 days#2 of 58 citiesBrick kilns1brick kilns within 50 km#33 of 34 citiesLandfills2,309kg of methane an hour measured from 2 landfills#7 of 58 measured landfillsPower plants and industry12fossil-fuel power plants within 50 km, and 384 industrial areas#1 of 35 cities

Fires around Karachi in the last 30 days

Fires around Karachi were at their highest on the latest day, 29 October, with 113 fire spots within 250 km, 4 of them within 50 km.

30 September: no data30 September1 October: 27 · 22 October: 40 · 43 October: 26 · 04 October: 23 · 15 October: 30 · 16 October: 25 · 17 October: 28 · 28 October: 28 · 09 October: 25 · 010 October: 15 · 011 October: 17 · 112 October: 29 · 113 October: 3 · 114 October: 22 · 015 October: 29 · 715 October16 October: 22 · 217 October: 33 · 318 October: 40 · 519 October: 33 · 120 October: 31 · 321 October: 49 · 622 October: 38 · 323 October: 35 · 424 October: 35 · 125 October: 40 · 126 October: 61 · 427 October: 45 · 728 October: 56 · 829 October: 113 · 429 October113

within 250 km   within 50 km

998fire spots within 250 km in the last 29 days
73of them within 50 km
41%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 Karachi: traffic, industry and power plants

Over the last 14 days the air over Karachi held 4.55 times the region's usual level of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), #2 of 58 cities.

1×30 September: 2.13×1 October: 2.12×2 October: 2.15×5 October: 1.79×8 October: 1.79×11 October: 1.8×13 October: 2×16 October: 2.09×19 October: 2.66×22 October: 3.14×25 October: 3.83×27 October: 3.81×28 October: 4.55×30 September28 October

The strongest NO₂ peak within 35 km was 7.22 times the usual level, 32 km from the city centre, near a power or industrial plant (Bin Qasim Power Plant).

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

1 brick kiln stands within 50 km of Karachi.

0%are the cleaner zigzag kind
#33 of 34 citiesby brick kilns within 50 km, among the cities the kiln surveys cover

Landfills

Satellites and aircraft have measured methane rising from Nur Muhammad Brahui, 19 km from the centre, 26 times, about 1,998 kg an hour. That puts it #7 of the 58 measured landfills in Pakistan and India.

Nur Muhammad Brahui from above, 19 km north of the centre
Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
26methane plumes measured
11 September 2026last measured
15landfills 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

12 fossil-fuel power plants and 384 industrial areas lie within 50 km of Karachi. Carbon Mapper has measured CO₂ plumes from 1 plant here, about 279 tonnes an hour. The largest, Bin Qasim Power Plant, can generate 2,355 MW.

Bin Qasim Power Plant from above, 37 km east of the centre
Satellite view: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
Bin Qasim Power Plant gas, 37 km2,355 MW
Port Qasim Coal Power Plant coal, 38 km1,320 MW
China Power Hub Power Plant coal, 32 km1,320 MW
Hub Power Plant oil, 31 km1,292 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 Karachi

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 Karachi this season compared with past years

Fire spots within 250 km of Karachi 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: 25525520192020: 38938920202021: 32132120212022: 31031020222023: 33033020232024: 34134120242025: 36736720252026: 354354*2026 (so far)

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

Karachi 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 Karachi. 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 (117)#17 of 57
Fire spots within 250 km, last 30 days (998)#45 of 58
NO₂, times the usual level (14 days) (4.55×)#2 of 58
Brick kilns within 50 km (1)#33 of 34
Fossil-fuel power plants within 50 km (12)#1 of 35
Landfill methane within 50 km (2,309 kg/h)#10 of 34
Measured plant CO₂ within 50 km (279 t/h)#13 of 22
Industrial areas within 50 km (384)#8 of 58

All the rankings: city rankings

Send this to someone in Karachi

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

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

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

Every table behind this page.

Upwind districts, last 24 hours
DistrictProvince or stateCountryDirectionDistanceFires
SangharSindhPakistannorth-east217 km2
NawabshahSindhPakistannorth-east206 km2
JamshoroSindhPakistannorth-east124 km2
MalirSindhPakistannorth19 km2
DaduSindhPakistannorth-east217 km1
Naushahro FirozSindhPakistannorth-east232 km1
MatiariSindhPakistannorth-east178 km1
Fires within 250 km by direction, last 24 hours
From theFires
north (the wind is coming from here)2
north-east17
east91
south-east6
south0
south-west0
west0
north-west1
Fires within 250 km in the last 7 days
DistrictProvince or stateCountryDistanceFiresOn farmland
Tando Mohammad KhanSindhPakistan152 km8284%
KutchGujaratIndia241 km679%
HyderabadSindhPakistan168 km3511%
SangharSindhPakistan225 km3336%
MalirSindhPakistan39 km293%
LasbelaBalochistanPakistan74 km2623%
ThattaSindhPakistan86 km2425%
JamshoroSindhPakistan93 km2326%
MatiariSindhPakistan178 km2268%
Tando AllahyarSindhPakistan185 km1553%
Fires around Karachi this season compared with past years
SeasonFire spots
2019255
2020389
2021321
2022310
2023330
2024341
2025367
2026 (so far)354 (1 day without Suomi NPP data: a floor)
Landfill methane records
SiteMethanePlumes seenLast seenRank
Nur Muhammad Brahui (Malir, Pakistan, 19 km)1,998 kg/h2611 September 20267 of 58
Landfill Site (LFS) Gondpass (of West Karachi, Pakistan, 18 km)311 kg/h711 September 202638 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 Karachi 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.

MeasureKarachiRank
Fire spots within 250 km, last 30 days99845 of 58
NO₂, times the usual level (14 days)4.55×2 of 58
Landfill methane within 50 km2,309 kg/h10 of 34
Measured plant CO₂ within 50 km279 t/h13 of 22
Brick kilns within 50 km133 of 34
Industrial areas within 50 km3848 of 58
Always-hot sites within 50 km0–
Ranks on today's fires

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

  • Fire spots upwind, last 24 hours: 15 of 34
  • Fire spots within 250 km, last 24 hours: 17 of 57
  • Fire spots within 250 km, last 7 days: 45 of 58

All the rankings: city rankings

Questions about Karachi's air

Where is Karachi's smoke coming from today?

Right now the wind over Karachi blows from the north at 11 km/h (weather model, 30 October, 07:45 PKT). In the 24 hours to 30 October, 03:48 PKT NASA's satellites saw 11 fires within 250 km upwind of Karachi, in the direction the wind is coming from, out of 117 within 250 km in every direction. The largest numbers were in Sanghar and Nawabshah. About 73% were on farmland, the pattern of crop-residue burning.

Are crop fires burning near Karachi?

In the last 24 hours NASA's satellites saw 117 fire spots within 250 km of Karachi, and 998 in the last 30 days. Satellites only see what is burning as they pass, and not under cloud.

How bad is traffic pollution in Karachi?

Over the 14 days 15 October to 28 October 2026, nitrogen dioxide in the air over Karachi (within 15 km) was about 4.55 times the usual level of the surrounding region, roughly 5.66 ×10¹⁵ molecules/cm². Of the 58 cities with enough clear days, it ranks 2.

How many brick kilns are there near Karachi?

The satellite surveys count 1 brick kilns within 50 km of Karachi.

Which landfills near Karachi release methane?

Carbon Mapper has measured methane plumes from Nur Muhammad Brahui (1,998 kg/h), Landfill Site (LFS) Gondpass (311 kg/h).

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

More about Karachi

Nearby cities: Hyderabad (Sindh) (149 km), Larkana (324 km), Sukkur (366 km), Quetta (591 km)

Fires up to 30 October, 03:48 PKT. 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.