Lahore Tops Global Pollution Ranking as AQI Hits 189
LAHORE: Lahore tops pollution ranking on IQAir’s live list of the world’s most polluted major cities, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 189 on Thursday — a grim milestone as the smog season tightens its grip on Punjab.
Air pollution stayed high across the province, with Rajanpur registering the province’s highest city-level reading at 339. IQAir’s global ranking placed Lahore first, ahead of Delhi, which recorded an AQI of 183, and Kolkata at 172. Kuala Lumpur ranked fourth with 169, followed by Mumbai at 166, according to the live tracker.
The ranking compares air quality across more than 100 major cities worldwide. The global ranking uses the US AQI scale, under which a reading of 189 falls in the “unhealthy” category. The ranking can change as monitoring data are updated.
Punjab’s dashboard paints a bleaker picture
Punjab’s official air quality dashboard showed Rajanpur at the top of its city-based ranking with an AQI of 339 at around 7pm. Kasur followed at 266, Faisalabad at 251, Pakpattan at 245 and Vehari at 233.
Kot Addu recorded an AQI of 229, Rawalpindi 221, Dera Ghazi Khan 219, Multan 217 and Bhakkar 208. Sahiwal registered 199, while Lahore stood at 198, placing the provincial capital 12th in the dashboard’s city ranking at the time of the update.
Fourth straight day as Lahore tops pollution ranking
The Lahore tops pollution ranking milestone is not a one-off. A day earlier, the city was declared the world’s most polluted for the fourth consecutive day, with the AQI reaching 294 and readings of 352 and 342 recorded in the Kahna Nau and Iqbal Town areas respectively, according to reports.
The Meteorological Department has warned that Lahore’s AQI could rise further in the coming days, with dry weather expected and no chance of rain to wash pollutants out of the air.
Environmental experts have strongly criticised the government, saying conditions were highly favourable for artificial rain in early October, but officials chose not to consider their proposals. According to experts, if the provincial government had arranged substantial artificial rain at that time, it might have been possible to eliminate much of the pollution from Lahore’s air. Officials responded that air pollutants could be removed through new technology without artificial or natural rain — a claim experts have questioned, pointing out that Rs20 billion was spent on anti-smog measures over just two to three months last year with no visible reduction in smog.
Lahore’s recurring smog crisis has been flagged before, with the city previously named among the world’s worst for ozone pollution in a Copernicus report. The pattern is seasonal but persistent: vehicle emissions, industrial activity, brick kilns, construction dust and crop-residue burning combine each autumn to choke the city. The province has responded with measures such as asking schools to promote carpooling to cut vehicular emissions — but the rankings suggest the crisis is deepening faster than the remedies.
Frequently asked questions
What was Lahore’s AQI when it topped the global ranking?
Lahore recorded an AQI of 189 on IQAir’s live global ranking on Thursday, ahead of Delhi (183) and Kolkata (172). The ranking can change as data are updated.
Which Punjab city had the worst air quality?
Rajanpur, with an AQI of 339 on the Punjab government’s official dashboard — well into the hazardous range.
Is rain expected to clear the smog?
The Meteorological Department says Lahore’s AQI could rise further in the coming days, with dry weather expected and no chance of rain.
