Lahore's pollution level again soars to top of AQI list

LAHORE: Lahore returned to the top of the world’s most polluted cities list with Air Quality Index reading 611 on Thursday morning, ARY News reported.

Indian capital city New Delhi ranked 2nd with AQI reading 478, while Nepal’s capital city Kathmandu remained third on the list of most polluted cities.

Lahore has been ranked first on the air quality index in the country, Peshawar second most polluted city of the country, Multan 3rd, Rawalpindi 4th, Karachi 5th and Islamabad sixth in the list.

Punjab has recently passed through a very high level of air pollution and smog with the onset of winter. Provincial authorities made desperate efforts to contain smog in cities. The province grappling with severe air pollution, which have soared to alarming levels, creating public health issues.

Lahore consistently ranked top among the most polluted cities globally for several days, prompting urgent action from authorities.

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 of the level deemed acceptable 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.