Laos Air Quality Improves as Rain Clears Weeks of Smog

This Week

Air quality across Laos has improved significantly following weeks of hazardous smog, with recent rainfall helping to clear the PM2.5 pollution that had gripped much of the country since the height of the dry season.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reported on 27 April that most provinces have returned to the “good” level, with AQI readings ranging between 26 and 37, a dramatic turnaround from earlier this month when levels climbed as high as nearly 300, classified as “very unhealthy.” 

Overall, AQI nationwide is now under 90, with most areas breathing easier. Only three spots remain in the “moderate” range: Bounnuea district in the northern Phongsaly Province, Pakse City in Champasak Province, and Salavanh district in Salavanh Province in the south.

The weeks-long crisis had been fuelled largely by widespread open burning. 

In Vientiane Capital, where AQI posted over 200 at the height of the crisis, fires blazing through the Phou Phanang and Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Areas were identified as key local sources of the haze, with Phou Phanang alone burning through more than 1,400 hectares of forest. 

Nationwide, authorities recorded over 16,000 fire hotspots in the first three months of 2026, with daily counts peaking at over 2,200 in mid-April, before gradually declining.

The turning point came with rainfall that swept across the country following the Lao New Year, or Pi Mai Lao. In Vientiane Capital, rain fell for three consecutive days from Sunday, 26 April to today, 28 April, not a heavy downpour, but enough to clear the haze hanging over the city.

Temperatures during Pi Mai Lao peaked at 43 degrees Celsius, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. As of 28 April, Xayabouly Province recorded the highest temperature at 36 degrees Celsius, with Vientiane Capital and several other provinces sitting at around 33 degrees Celsius. 

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