LAHORE: On Monday, commuters faced a difficult task as smog and fog engulfed Lahore and its surrounding areas, disrupting both road and air travel.<\/p>\n
Travelers were inconvenienced by a number of flights at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport that were disrupted for unclear reasons, including dense fog.<\/p>\n
Three flights operated by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were affected; one of them, PK-303 to Karachi, left with a significant six-hour delay.<\/p>\n
PK-304, the flight that was supposed to return from Karachi to Lahore, was also delayed and arrived at the airport five hours later than expected. There was also a delay on a Malaysian Air flight from Kuala Lumpur to Lahore.<\/p>\n
Due to the prevailing smog and fog conditions, multiple sections of Punjab’s motorways and highways were temporarily closed at the same time. The motorway connecting Lahore and Islamabad, the M-3 section from Faizpur to Darkhana, and the M-4 section from Sher Shah to Shamkot were all closed. Motorway authorities advised drivers to avoid unnecessary travel in response to these closures in order to maintain road safety.<\/p>\n
There has been a noticeable improvement in the quality of the air in Lahore, which ranks fourth with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 205. This beneficial change came after artificial rain was introduced, a novel strategy used for the first time in the city to reduce smog.<\/p>\n