Tajikistan launches national air quality monitoring website

Tajikistan has introduced an official website dedicated to monitoring air quality, offering real-time pollution data from various monitoring stations throughout the nation. This platform enables residents to check air quality in Tajik, Russian, and English.

The website, airquality.meteo.tj, was created by the Meteorological Agency under the State Committee for Environmental Protection and currently gathers data from nine automatic monitoring stations, which include six located in Dushanbe and one each in Kulyab, Vahdat, and Hisor.

The site features a national air quality index, along with concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 particles, meteorological data, interactive maps, historical charts, health advice, and further information regarding air pollution.

As stated by the agency, this website is the only official platform in the country where air quality evaluations are derived from global models based on data from the national monitoring network.

The launch follows a challenge by Tajik authorities against an international assessment from the Swiss-based air quality platform IQAir, which placed Tajikistan among the most polluted countries in the world for 2025, based on annual PM2.5 levels.

Officials contended that such rankings are based on a limited number of monitoring stations, mainly situated in urban areas impacted by traffic emissions and dust, rendering nationwide conclusions methodologically flawed.

Dushanbe has historically struggled with seasonal air pollution stemming from vehicle emissions, fuel combustion, coal heating in winter, and dust storms that occasionally bring sand from both local and neighboring regions.

Tajik authorities have contested international air pollution rankings, asserting that comprehensive nationwide monitoring is essential for an accurate evaluation of the country's overall air quality, rather than depending on a small number of urban monitoring stations.