Daily report · most polluted
UAE air quality on 16 October 2026
Sharjah had the most polluted air of 15 UAE cities
Updated · NCM / EAD
At 3:00 pm GST on 16 October 2026, 15 UAE cities were reporting. Sharjah had the most polluted air at US AQI 132 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), followed by Ajman (132) and Umm Al Quwain (132). The median across all cities was 106, up from 90 the day before. 0 cities were at Unhealthy or worse (0 the day before). Madinat Zayed had the cleanest air at 73.
The biggest deterioration was in Sharjah, from 93 to 132. Madinat Zayed improved most, from 86 to 73.
- Moderate 5
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 10
10 most polluted cities
| # | City | Emirate | US AQI | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sharjah | Sharjah | 132Sensitive | ▲ 39 |
| 2 | Ajman | Ajman | 132Sensitive | ▲ 39 |
| 3 | Umm Al Quwain | Umm Al Quwain | 132Sensitive | ▲ 39 |
| 4 | Liwa Oasis | Abu Dhabi | 127Sensitive | new |
| 5 | Dibba Al-Fujairah | Fujairah | 121Sensitive | ▲ 4 |
| 6 | Ras Al Khaimah | Ras Al Khaimah | 113Sensitive | ▲ 17 |
| 7 | Khor Fakkan | Sharjah | 108Sensitive | ▲ 26 |
| 8 | Kalba | Sharjah | 106Sensitive | ▲ 20 |
| 9 | Fujairah | Fujairah | 106Sensitive | ▲ 20 |
| 10 | Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi | 104Sensitive | ▼ 10 |
10 cleanest cities
| # | City | Emirate | US AQI | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madinat Zayed | Abu Dhabi | 73Moderate | ▼ 13 |
| 2 | Ghayathi | Abu Dhabi | 79Moderate | ▼ 3 |
| 3 | Ruwais | Abu Dhabi | 92Moderate | ▼ 5 |
| 4 | Sweihan | Abu Dhabi | 93Moderate | ▲ 7 |
| 5 | Al Ain | Abu Dhabi | 94Moderate | ▲ 7 |
| 6 | Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi | 104Sensitive | ▼ 10 |
| 7 | Fujairah | Fujairah | 106Sensitive | ▲ 20 |
| 8 | Kalba | Sharjah | 106Sensitive | ▲ 20 |
| 9 | Khor Fakkan | Sharjah | 108Sensitive | ▲ 26 |
| 10 | Ras Al Khaimah | Ras Al Khaimah | 113Sensitive | ▲ 17 |
Biggest rises
All 15 cities on 16 October 2026
| # | City | Emirate | US AQI | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sharjah | Sharjah | 132Sensitive | ▲ 39 |
| 2 | Ajman | Ajman | 132Sensitive | ▲ 39 |
| 3 | Umm Al Quwain | Umm Al Quwain | 132Sensitive | ▲ 39 |
| 4 | Liwa Oasis | Abu Dhabi | 127Sensitive | new |
| 5 | Dibba Al-Fujairah | Fujairah | 121Sensitive | ▲ 4 |
| 6 | Ras Al Khaimah | Ras Al Khaimah | 113Sensitive | ▲ 17 |
| 7 | Khor Fakkan | Sharjah | 108Sensitive | ▲ 26 |
| 8 | Kalba | Sharjah | 106Sensitive | ▲ 20 |
| 9 | Fujairah | Fujairah | 106Sensitive | ▲ 20 |
| 10 | Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi | 104Sensitive | ▼ 10 |
| 11 | Al Ain | Abu Dhabi | 94Moderate | ▲ 7 |
| 12 | Sweihan | Abu Dhabi | 93Moderate | ▲ 7 |
| 13 | Ruwais | Abu Dhabi | 92Moderate | ▼ 5 |
| 14 | Ghayathi | Abu Dhabi | 79Moderate | ▼ 3 |
| 15 | Madinat Zayed | Abu Dhabi | 73Moderate | ▼ 13 |
Snapshot taken at 3:00 pm GST from National Center of Meteorology (NCM) and Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD). Values are the latest hourly readings at that time, not daily averages. Cities with no reading are left out.