Habib University

SindhAir will establish Karachi’s first open, continuous air quality monitoring network. Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city, a major industrial and financial hub, and the country’s main seaport, with more than 20 million people living in and around the city. Yet publicly accessible, real-time measurements of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), the tiny airborne particles that are particularly harmful to human health, remain limited. With support from the EPIC Air Quality Fund, SindhAir will deploy low-cost air quality sensors across the city’s industrial zones, traffic corridors, port areas, and schools, supported by reference-grade monitoring in partnership with the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency. All data will be shared publicly through OpenAQ. Beyond measurement, SindhAir aims to provide the evidence needed to strengthen enforcement of Sindh’s existing air quality standards and build a scientific foundation for a healthier, cleaner Karachi and, ultimately, communities across Sindh and Pakistan.

Karachi is home to over 20 million people, yet large parts of the city, including some of its most polluted areas, have never been continuously monitored for air quality. By deploying 35 calibrated sensors across the city’s most polluted zones, including industrial areas with no existing monitoring, and anchoring the network with reference-grade instrument in partnership with the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, SindhAir will generate Karachi’s first open, regulatory-grade PM2.5 dataset. Our goal is not just to collect data, but to enable enforcement. Sindh’s air quality standard already exists in law. SindhAir will provide the evidence needed to enforce it and protect millions of lives.

Dr. Vijay Kumar, Assistant Professor, Habib University