Karachi ranked 7th most polluted city in world on AQI

KARACHI: Karachi becomes the seventh most polluted city in the world on Sunday as eastern winds bring the air quality to an unhygienic level, ARY News reported.

According to the Air Quality Index, the air pollution in Karachi is recorded at 163 particulate meters which is unhealthy for the Karachiites.

Earlier, health experts described Karachi’s air quality as “very unhealthy” and advised citizens to restrict their outdoor activities especially during peak pollution hours.

It is to be mentioned here that AQI as high as 151-200 is considered unhealthy, while an AQI reading between 201 to 300 is more harmful and AQI reading over 300 mark is extremely hazardous.

Experts said that the air becomes heavier in the winter, causing poisonous particles in the atmosphere to move downwards and making the atmosphere polluted. As a result, a layer of polluted particles, including large amounts of carbon and smoke, covers an area.

The smoke produced by factories or by burning coal, garbage, oil or tyres, enters the atmosphere and its impact appears at the onset of the winter and remains till the end of the season, experts said.

Although southwestern winds blowing from the sea in Karachi, work as a filter for the air, these winds remain mostly suspended during the winter, experts said.