LAHORE (The Thursday Times) — Lahore was the most polluted major city in the world on Monday, with an air quality index of 590 in IQAir’s live ranking and an hourly reading of 647, before a change of wind brought the figure down to about 218 by the evening.
The next cities on the ranking were far behind, with Ulaanbaatar on 177 and Delhi on 174. Elsewhere in Punjab, Raiwind recorded 688, Multan 655 and Faisalabad 600. By 7pm IQAir had Lahore on 218, still in its “very unhealthy” band.
What the government says: Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on X that fireworks across the border during Diwali had added to the pollution, and that better weather, stronger winds and anti-smog operations had since brought it down. Figures she gave showed Allama Iqbal Town falling from 1,063 to 207 after 9am, Punjab University from 768 to 181 and the Civil Secretariat from 614 to 155.
How much came from where: the Punjab government had warned on Sunday that smoke from Diwali fireworks and crop burning in Indian Punjab could reach Lahore within five to 13 hours on easterly winds. The share that crossed the border has not been independently established, and satellite data also showed significant crop fires inside Pakistani Punjab. The provincial environment department recorded 459 crop-fire reports from October 1 to November 4, down 28 per cent on the same period last year, and 57 police cases for crop burning. It is due to publish an assessment on Tuesday comparing the roles of weather, local emissions, farm fires and cross-border pollution.
What comes next: the government expects pollution to stay high through Tuesday, with some improvement from Wednesday. IQAir’s forecast puts Lahore’s daily average at about 164 on Tuesday and 163 on Wednesday, which is still rated unhealthy.
What to do: the government advisory tells children, older people, pregnant women and those with heart or lung conditions to stay indoors while readings are hazardous, and everyone else to put off morning walks, jogging and cycling. Keep windows and doors closed, run a car’s air conditioning on recirculate, and do not burn rubbish or leaves. There is more on keeping smog out of your home.
