Bad air keeps Lahore on top among most polluted cities

LAHORE: Bad air keeps Lahore ranked first in the most polluted cities of the world with cumulative AQI reading 394 on Saturday, ARY News reported.

The winds blowing from Indian direction has turned the air quality extremely unhygienic in the provincial capital city, officials said.

Indian capital New Delhi ranked second on the air quality index with 260 reading of hazardous particles.

Karachi has been ranked sixth in the list among the most polluted cities of the world.

The doctors have advised cities to avoid unnecessary travel as smog engulfs various parts of Punjab and use masks according to reports.

Last year air pollution and smog haunted Punjab with the onset of winter. Authorities made desperate efforts to contain smog in cities. The province grappled with severe air pollution, which soared to alarming levels, causing serious public health issues.

For days, Lahore was enveloped by smog, a mix of fog and pollutants, caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning as temperatures drop with cooling air.

Air pollution level in Lahore once soared to more than 80 times of the level deemed hygienic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The government closed schools and restricted timing of eateries, other businesses and markets to save general public from the adverse impact of toxic pollution and health problems.