Smog crisis deepens as Lahore records world’s highest major-city AQI

Lahore has emerged as the world's most polluted major city with air quality reaching hazardous levels as a thick layer of smog continues to affect residents across Punjab's provincial capital.

According to data from Swiss air quality monitoring platform IQAir Lahore recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 240 on November 10 placing it at the top of the global pollution rankings. The reading falls within the platform’s “very unhealthy” category.

The city’s concentration of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5 was measured at approximately 33 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s annual guideline. These microscopic pollutants can enter deep into the respiratory system and pose serious health risks.

Other Pakistani cities were also experiencing severe pollution. IQAir reported an AQI of 283 in Faisalabad, 245 in Peshawar and 228 in Gujranwala indicating that the smog crisis extends beyond Lahore.

Diwali celebrations blamed for cross-border pollution

Punjab’s environmental authorities have linked the latest deterioration in air quality partly to pollution travelling from neighbouring India following Diwali celebrations.

Provincial Environment Protection Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said light winds had carried polluted air from across the border after fireworks and firecrackers were used during the Hindu festival.

She expressed hope that changing weather conditions and a shift in wind direction would help improve the situation, with pollution levels expected to ease gradually during the afternoon.

Meanwhile Delhi also featured among the world’s most polluted cities ranking second with an AQI of 188 according to IQAir.

Indian government figures indicated that firecrackers accounted for nearly 55% of the capital’s PM2.5 pollution on the day following Diwali.

Pollution remains a regional challenge

Environmental experts and authorities have repeatedly identified several sources behind worsening air quality across the Indo-Pak region including vehicle exhaust, construction activity, industrial emissions and the burning of agricultural waste.

Crop-residue burning has remained a particularly contentious issue between Pakistan and India during the winter smog season.

Indian Punjab’s government has maintained that farm-fire incidents have declined compared with previous years despite reports of a sharp increase in such incidents around Diwali. India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party meanwhile has also pointed to agricultural burning in the opposition-governed state as a contributor to Delhi’s pollution.

Pakistan had similarly attributed severe smog in 2024 to crop burning across the border. However, India’s meteorological authorities disputed the explanation at the time, arguing that prevailing winds were moving from Pakistan towards India.

With pollution levels elevated across several major cities, the latest readings highlight the continuing challenge of tackling deteriorating air quality across the region.