Pakistan’s Lahore is grappling with hazardous air pollution, recording the world’s worst Air Quality Index (AQI) this November. On Friday, the city’s CERP Office area reported an alarming AQI of 1587, according to Swiss air quality monitor IQAir. Several other areas, including Syed Maratib Ali Road, Pakistan Engineering Services offices, and VTS, also crossed an AQI of 1000.
Lahore’s average AQI on Thursday stood at a staggering 1300, making it the planet’s most polluted city throughout November 2024. Despite government interventions, air quality continues to worsen daily, exacerbated by increasing smog and plummeting temperatures. To combat the crisis, authorities in Lahore have shut down schools, parks, and museums until the week’s end.
Mask mandates have been enforced, and offices are operating at reduced capacity. The pollution has triggered a health emergency, with over 15,000 cases of respiratory and viral infections reported in just 24 hours, as per Ary News. Across the province, more than 70,000 people are being treated daily for smog-related illnesses.
The smog, caused by vehicle emissions, industrial activities, construction, and crop-burning during the winter wheat planting season, has reduced visibility and worsened public health. The Pakistani government has imposed a three-month ban on weddings and introduced new transport guidelines to curb pollution. The cities of Lahore and Multan remain the most polluted globally.
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