Lahore tops polluted cities' list
Commuters wear masks as thick smog envelops Lahore. PHOTO: AFP
The Punjab capital topped the list of the world's most polluted cities on Saturday with an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 266, deemed very unhealthy by healtn experts.
The highest AQI reading in the city exceeded 500.
Data from the IQAir revealed that the city's particulate matter PM2.5 concentration was 38.2 times higher than the World Health Organisation's annual guideline levels.
According to the data, Lahore was followed by Dhaka with an AQI of 238. Other cities among the 10 most polluted included Delhi (214) and Chongqing in China (182).
Within Lahore, the most polluted areas included Polo Ground Cantt (555), Burki Road (414), DHA Phase V (380), Tufail Road near Rahat Bakery (374), Mini-Market Gulberg (364), Askari 10 (356), Valencia Town (356), Hiking and Mountaineering Club GCU (354), US Consulate (334) and Thokar (302).
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted mainly cold and dry weather in Lahore and other districts of Punjab.
It said a cold wave is expected to persist in Lahore and other parts of Punjab on Sunday.
Fog and smog in patches is likely in Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Kasur, Okara, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalnagar and surroundings during morning and night hours. Fog persisted in plain areas.
The minimum temperature in Lahore was recorded at 4°C with relative humidity in the evening at 57 per cent.