Checking Air Quality in Dubai: Official Sources and How to Read Them

Dubai Municipality publishes real-time and forecast air quality for the whole emirate through its Dubai Air Quality service, showing last-hour average levels of six pollutants: carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and two sizes of particulate matter, PM10 and PM2.5. When the website launched in November 2018, Gulf News reported it drew on 24 monitoring stations and updated every hour.

For anyone planning an early run or a weekend outdoors, it is the first place to look. Here is what the main sources show and how to read them.

The official source: Dubai Municipality

The Dubai Air Quality service, at dubaiairenvironment.dm.gov.ae and available as a mobile app, gives:

• The Air Quality Index (AQI) for Dubai, in real time
• Last-hour average concentrations of CO, NO2, O3, SO2, PM10 and PM2.5
• A forecast section, which the Municipality says is for planning outdoor activities

Behind it, the Municipality runs an Air Quality and Odour Monitoring Network of ground stations, a mobile air-monitoring laboratory it says can track more than 100 pollutants, and DMSAT-1, a nanosatellite for environmental monitoring.

Monitoring isn't new: Dubai Municipality has tracked air quality since the 1990s, when it ran six stations, and said in 2019 that it planned to expand the network to compare population growth with air quality.

Third-party maps

Sites such as aqicn.org, run by the World Air Quality Index Project, republish readings from individual Dubai stations. Its Zabeel Park page, for example, credits Dubai Municipality's Environment Department as the data provider and notes that values are converted to the US EPA AQI standard. That conversion is one reason numbers can differ between sites.

How to read the index

On the US EPA scale used by aqicn.org, the bands are:

AQIBandWhat the scale says 0–50GoodAir pollution poses little or no risk 51–100ModerateAcceptable; moderate concern for some pollutants 101–150Unhealthy for sensitive groupsSensitive groups may be affected; the general public is not likely to be 151–200UnhealthyEveryone may begin to experience effects 201–300Very unhealthyHealth warnings of emergency conditions 300+HazardousHealth alert for everyone

The scale's own cautionary statements suggest limiting prolonged outdoor exertion from the Moderate band upwards for active children and adults and people with respiratory conditions, and avoiding outdoor exertion altogether at Hazardous levels.

Why dust matters in Dubai

A Dubai Municipality environment planning official told Gulf News in 2019 that the emirate suffers most from PM10, mainly because of its geography and desert dust, and that nitrogen oxides were a concern on highways at certain times. He also said smog does not necessarily indicate air pollution, which is why checking the reading is more useful than looking at the sky.

Before you head out

• Check the reading for the station nearest you, not just the city-wide figure.
• Look at PM10 and PM2.5 on dusty days.
• Use the forecast to plan early-morning or evening activity.
• Indoor options are listed in our Directory, and our guide to where to run in Dubai covers outdoor tracks.

For general information, not medical advice. Readings change hourly; check Dubai Municipality's official service before relying on them.