Lahore: Pakistan’s Lahore city ranked as the world’s most polluted city on Monday, the second such time in a week’s time, with smog reaching hazardous levels way higher than WHO guidelines, a private tech company data showed.
While the Punjab – with Lahore as its capital – does not have its own air quality index, the provincial government said it is actively implementing the Smog Emergency Plan, especially in Lahore.
According to IQAir, Lahore’s air quality index (AQI) rose to a hazardous level -- 312, with its concentration of PM2.5, the most harmful particulate matter, reaching a staggering 190.5 micrograms per cubic meter.
“This level is over 25 times the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) annual air quality guideline. The real-time station ranking for Lahore is painting an even more alarming picture, with several areas crossing into the ‘hazardous’ threshold,” the IQAir said in a statement.
On Monday at 10 pm, Lahore topped the global chart of major cities, surpassing other perennial pollution hotspots like Delhi (AQI 220) and Kolkata (AQI 170), the statement added. PM2.5 concentrations in Lahore’s air are multiple times above global safety thresholds, raising risks of respiratory and cardiovascular illness among other serious health issues.agencies