Lahore tops global pollution ranking as smog intensifies across the city

Lahore has once again been ranked the world’s most polluted major city as worsening smog and colder weather push air pollution levels to alarming heights raising fresh concerns about public health in Punjab’s provincial capital.

Lahore has once again been ranked the world’s most polluted major city as worsening smog and colder weather push air pollution levels to alarming heights raising fresh concerns about public health in Punjab’s provincial capital.

According to live data from Swiss air quality monitoring platform IQAir Lahore recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 296 at 10am on Wednesday, October 28 placing it ahead of several other heavily polluted urban centres.

Cairo ranked second with an AQI of 289 followed by Delhi at 272. Tashkent occupied fourth position with a reading of 186 while Karachi ranked fifth at 173.

Under the US AQI classification, Lahore and Cairo fell into the “very unhealthy” category. Delhi’s pollution levels were also classified in the same category indicating potentially serious health risks for residents.

An AQI reading of 296 reflects a high concentration of air pollutants that can particularly affect children older adults and people with existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions. Reduced visibility caused by the morning smog added to concerns as temperatures dropped.

Residents were advised to avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities during periods of heavy pollution, especially those suffering from asthma and other breathing-related illnesses.

Environment Protection Agency (EPA) spokesperson Sajid Bashir told Dawn that authorities were monitoring industrial facilities and had installed equipment to measure pollution levels.

He said weather patterns were contributing to the worsening conditions, while officials were taking steps to discourage the burning of agricultural residue. According to Bashir, easterly winds had been carrying polluted air from areas near the Indian border into Lahore and other parts of central Punjab.

The provincial government is also acquiring 30 additional modern fog cannons mounted on electric trucks to help control dust and pollution. The equipment is being deployed first in locations recording higher pollution levels particularly where concentrations of PM10 particles are elevated.

These machines are intended to suppress dust on roads and nearby areas although officials acknowledged that reducing pollution would require time and sustained efforts.

Bashir added that construction and development activities in Lahore and other Punjab cities were also contributing to deteriorating air quality.

Punjab Climate Watch teams are working in three shifts to inspect industrial facilities identify environmental violations register cases and impose penalties where necessary.

The latest reading follows several recent episodes of severe pollution. Lahore ranked first globally the previous week when its air quality was classified as “hazardous”.

On October 2, the city also topped IQAir’s ranking with an AQI of 167 categorised as “unhealthy”. Earlier in October the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service identified Lahore among cities experiencing extremely poor ozone levels.

Industrial emissions vehicle exhaust crop-residue burning and weather conditions are among the factors associated with Pakistan’s recurring winter smog crisis.