Lahore has once again been identified as the world’s most polluted city, with its air quality reaching “hazardous” levels, according to data released by air quality monitoring website IQAir.
Air pollution has increasingly become a major public health and environmental challenge in Pakistan over the past several years. Several cities across the country, particularly Lahore, regularly experience severe smog during the winter season. Experts attribute the situation to a combination of industrial discharge, vehicle emissions, crop residue burning and limited air circulation.
On Wednesday morning, Lahore topped the global pollution rankings with an air quality index (AQI) reading of 385, while Karachi stood eleventh with an AQI of 149, based on IQAir’s live monitoring system. A day earlier, the platform had issued an air quality warning for Pakistan as pollution levels in major urban centres ranged from “unhealthy” to “hazardous,” raising serious health concerns, especially for children and older people.
Authorities in Punjab have taken several steps to combat smog in Lahore, including deploying water-spraying vehicles and launching rapid-response measures to prevent stubble burning. Despite official claims of some improvement, pollution levels remain alarmingly high, with smog continuing to blanket the city.