LAHORE (The Thursday Times) — Lahore was ranked the most polluted major city in the world on Wednesday morning, with an air quality index of 296, as colder weather thickened the smog over Punjab’s capital a day after it had placed second.
Swiss monitor IQAir’s live ranking at 10am put Lahore ahead of Cairo on 289 and Delhi on 272, all in the “very unhealthy” band of the US AQI scale, Dawn reported. Tashkent was fourth on 186 and Karachi fifth on 173. A reading near 300 poses serious risks for children, older people and anyone with heart or lung conditions, and residents were advised to cut back on prolonged outdoor activity.
Winds from across the border
Sajid Bashir, a spokesperson for Punjab’s Environment Protection Agency, said easterly winds had been steadily pushing polluted air from India’s border regions into Lahore and across central Punjab, while falling temperatures were helping trap it. He added that construction work in Lahore and other cities was also adding to the problem.
Bashir said the authorities were monitoring industries, had installed pollution-recording devices and were acting to stop crop-stubble burning. The government is buying 30 more fog cannons mounted on electric trucks, and anti-smog guns are being sent first to areas with the highest readings of PM10 particles to keep dust down on roads.
A season that is only starting
Smog has become one of Pakistan’s most serious public health crises, driven by industrial and vehicle emissions, stubble burning and still winter air. The season usually starts in late October and peaks between November and January, when readings in Lahore have in past years crossed 400, the “hazardous” level. Lahore ranked second worst in the world on Tuesday.
