Air Quality
Weekly Air Quality Update in Sri Lanka
Here, we summarize the current air quality in Sri Lanka including our weekly summary and the archives of these and some basic explanations.
Summary ( 04 – 10 May 2026)
In general, cleaner air flowed into Sri Lanka from the southwestern direction during the past week, contributing to generally favorable air quality conditions. However, after 5th May, slightly polluted air masses originating from India were also transported toward Sri Lanka through the Arabian Sea.
Daily average AQI levels remained within the “Good” to “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” range. Higher air pollutant levels occurred in Digana and Akurana on 5th and 6th May, respectively. The highest daily average AQI value of 141 was recorded in Digana on 5th May, falling under the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” category. On 6th May, Akurana also recorded a daily average AQI value of 101, which likewise fell under the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” category.
In terms of weekly averages, Akurana, Digana, Nuwara Eliya, Colombo, Mirihana, Negombo, Battaramulla, Chilaw, Kalawana, and Anuradhapura recorded “Moderate” AQI levels, while all other monitored locations remained within the “Good” category.
Weekly Air Quality Index (AQI) Levels:
- Moderate (AQI 51-100): Akurana, Digana, Nuwara Eliya, Colombo, Mirihana, Negombo, Battaramulla, Chilaw, Kalawana, Anuradhapura
- Good (AQI 0-50): Kurunegala, Ambalantota, Mannar, Trincomalee, Jaffna
Weekly Air Quality Highlights
Weekly Air Quality Blog
This page is based on our more detailed descriptions available at www.cleanair.lk
What is Air Quality?
Air quality is a measure of the level of air pollution. Polluted air consists of both particulate matter of fine dimensions and gaseous matter. The presence of these impurities decreases the pureness of the air we breathe.
How is it Estimated?
United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has set up a standard to measure the impact on AQ by the following 5 major air pollutants:
- Ground- level ozone (O3)
- Particle pollution (PM2.5 and PM10)
- Carbon monoxide (CO)
- Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
- Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
The AQI standard for ozone and particle pollution according to US EPA comprises of six categories. Each category is assigned a specific colour and corresponds to a different level of health concern. As the scale grows the air quality turns from good to extremely unhealthy.
© US EPA
Air Quality Monitoring
In Sri Lanka, the quality of air has been deteriorating in urban locales, in places close to industries and in places with biomass burning. The rate of deterioration is significantly high in areas of heavy traffic. This leaves communities residing in the areas vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution.
Note, not all instruments shall be updating data due to connectivity issues. Above, you can find map based pointers to access these data.
In this page, we present real-time updates of air quality at:
- Akurana
- Colombo
- Digana
- Illanthandiya
- Nawalapitiya
- Norochcholai
- Puttalam
Our Contributions
We are:
- Diagnosing historical air pollution data for diurnal variations, seasonality and inter-annual variation for Colombo, Kandy, Puttalam and other urban areas
- Assessing the relationship with climate variation
- Modeling the transport of air pollution in Sri Lanka and the region
- Obtaining air quality data on particulates and carbon dioxide in 10 stations in real time in a network which covers Colombo, Kandy, Nawalapitiya, Puttalam so far
- Maintaining an online updated repository of air quality data
- Working with partners on assessing health impacts
- Developing an updated air quality map