Lahore continues to be most polluted in World with over 700 AQI

LAHORE: Polluted air persists in Punjab and Lahore remains on the top of the list of the world’s big cities with over 700 Air Quality Index reading, ARY News reported on Saturday.

Bad air continuing to haunt Lahore and several other cities of Punjab despite authorities’ desperate steps to curb smog.

Shrine city of Multan with its 1659 AQI reading has been the most polluted place of Pakistan with dangerous level of hazardous pollutants in the air.

The Lahore-Islamabad and Lahore-Sialkot Motorway sections have been closed for vehicular traffic owing to poor visibility caused by thick fog.

Punjab government recently announced closure of schools upto higher secondary level in smog hit districts of the province till 17 November.

The schools’ shutdown in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafiz Abad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Faisalabad, Chinniot, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Multan, Lodharan, Vehari and Khanewal districts.

The decision made as the province grappling with severe air pollution, which have soared to alarming levels, affecting the public health, especially of children.

Lahore has been consistently ranked top among the most polluted cities globally, prompting urgent action from authorities.

Senior provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the air direction from India, has been towards Lahore resulting in increasing smog. “This issue could not be resolved without talking to India.”

“Polluted eastern winds, blowing from India, have direction towards Lahore,” secretary environment protection agency, Jahangir Anwar said.

“This polluted air has added to smog in Lahore and given extraordinary boost to the AQI reading,” Anwar said.

Talking to AFP earlier, senior environmental protection official said, “We have never reached a level of 1,000.”

For days, Lahore has been enveloped by smog, a mix of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning and winter cooling.

Air pollution level in Lahore once soared to more than 80 times over the level deemed acceptable by the World Health Organization (WHO), AFP said in a report.

The level of deadly PM2.5 pollutants — fine particulate matter in the air that causes the most damage to health — peaked at 1,067, before dropping to around 300 in the morning, with anything above 10 considered unhealthy by the WHO.