Lahore AQI worsened to hazardous levels

LAHORE: Lahore has been named among the polluted cities globally once again as air pollution in Lahore worsened to hazardous levels. At the same time, major areas of Punjab remained enveloped in a thick layer of smog on Monday.

According to official statistics released by the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the province recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 198, which is classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups. Meanwhile, air pollution in Lahore remained most hazardous compared to other areas of the province since an average AQI of 375 was recorded from 8 am to 3 pm.

Several regions within Lahore measured a higher degree of air pollution. The AQI was recorded to be as high as 565 near the University of Engineering and Technology, commonly abbreviated as UET.

Other regions that suffered heavily from air pollution were the headquarters of the EPA, which measured 427 AQI, Town Hall with 420, Safari Park, Punjab University, Hospitals, and the Lahore Waste Management Company region.

Internationally, in the live air quality rankings, Lahore was ranked as the second-most polluted major city in the world with an AQI ranking of 366. Delhi was recorded as the most polluted major city with an AQI ranking of 555, followed by Dhaka, Kolkata, and Bishkek.

Air pollution levels were not limited to Lahore, and other cities in the Punjab province also had poor air quality. AQI values above 200 were recorded in Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Narowal, and Gujranwala. Gujrat and Khanewal are still unhealthy for sensitive groups, while Rawalpindi, Sargodha, and Multan are

Factors cited behind the smog included car emissions, industrial, agricultural residues burning, and adverse weather conditions to environmental experts. The dense fog observed in the provinces of Punjab and Upper Sindh further engulfed the pollutants near the ground.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department further added that a “westerly weather system is prevailing” in the northern areas, where there are chances of rain/snow in Gilgit-Baltistan, the higher Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and “Kashmir.”