Early this morning, Lahore’s air quality reached alarmingly high pollution levels, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeding 700, marking Lahore as the most polluted city in the world today, a concerning fact for the health and well-being of its residents.
According to a global website, Lahore topped the list of the world’s most polluted cities, with its AQI crossing the hazardous threshold of 700. Even as the morning progressed, the AQI remained at a dangerously high level, averaging around 537 by 10 a.m., posing immediate health risks to the residents.
Johar Town was the most polluted area in Lahore, recording an AQI of 758, followed by Gulberg at 716, and Shimla Pahari at 575.
Health experts have labelled Lahore’s air as hazardous, citing increased cough, viral flu, throat infections, and other ailments due to rising pollution and smog. The Health Department has advised citizens to wear masks and goggles and to avoid unnecessary travel. Meanwhile, temperatures in Lahore have started to drop, adding to the smog. With no rain expected in the next two days, the smog continues to dominate the city.
In response to this crisis, the Punjab government has taken decisive measures to curb smog, including the demolition of 500 pollution-causing brick kilns and the sealing of 140 industrial units. These actions demonstrate the government’s commitment to addressing the issue and should provide some reassurance to the public.
How smog forms?
Smog forms when the air becomes denser in winter compared to summer, causing toxic particles in the atmosphere to settle closer to the ground, polluting the air. As a result, a layer of polluted particles, primarily carbon and smoke, covers the area called smog. Experts explain that smoke from burning crop residues, factories, coal, garbage, oil, or tyres enters the atmosphere, and its effects become evident at the onset of winter, persisting until the season’s end.
