Weekly Air Quality Update for Sri Lanka

26 May – 01 June 2025

Summary

This is the weekly AQ social media text from 26 May to 01 June 2025 for your review. 

Pristine air from the Southern Indian Ocean was carried into the country by southwesterly winds throughout the week. This resulted in low air pollution across all air quality monitoring stations in Sri Lanka.

Summaries for the stations from 26 May to 01 June 2025
Air Quality was:        

  • Moderate (AQI 51 – 100): Akurana,  Kurunegala, Negombo, Trincomalee, Puttalam, Jaffna.
  • Good (AQI 0 – 50):  Digana, Nuwara Eliya, Colombo, Battaramulla, Gampaha, Ambalantota, and Dambulla

Weekly Average AQI for selected cities

Trincomalee recorded the highest weekly average AQI of 60. Nuwara Eliya recorded the lowest weekly AQI of 26.

Read more about AQ color scale and real-time air quality stations operated by FECT https://fect.lk/air-quality/

Observed fine particulate measurements by the minute for last days

The AQ variation at a fine temporal scale is shown in Colombo and Pelawatte for last three days. The peak value in Colombo was about 140 and Pelawatte was about 155.

Air Quality impact on human health

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) are generally 2.5 microns and smaller in size. Such particles are inhalable and easily lodges inside the lungs reducing capacity. PM2.5 is a concern for people’s health when levels in the air are high. The levels of risk are shown in the dial shown against the US EPA air quality standards. AQ has a scale that run from 0-500, that tells you how clean or polluted your air is. Each level on the scale corresponds to a different level of health concern.