Lahore breathes easy as smog eases

Relief attributed to strict enforcement of business hours

LAHORE:

Following strict enforcement of Lahore High Court (LHC) directives and a temporary change in weather patterns, air quality in Lahore showed visible improvement on Wednesday, offering relief to residents after several days of hazardous smog levels.

The district administration stepped up its anti-smog operations, enforcing early market closures, sealing polluting industrial units, and restricting late-night commercial activities. The move comes after the LHC expressed dissatisfaction over ineffective implementation of earlier orders and directed authorities to adopt urgent, coordinated measures to combat worsening air pollution.

As per the official directives, markets in Lahore are required to close at 10pm, while restaurants and cafés must shut by 11pm on weekdays. On Sundays, commercial centres will remain open from 2pm to 10pm, with home delivery services permitted until 2am. Medical stores, bakeries, milk shops, tandoors, hospitals, laboratories, and petrol pumps remain exempt from these restrictions.

Lahore Deputy Commissioner (DC) Syed Musa Raza directed the assistant commissioners to ensure full implementation of a notification issued in 2023 on business timings, warning that any violation would result in sealing of premises and heavy fines. "No leniency will be tolerated in enforcing the court's orders," he said, adding that the administration was acting under the supervision of the ACs and police officers across major commercial zones.

The district administration carried out operations in Gulberg, Liberty Market, Anarkali, Mall Road, Garhi Shahu, and other major trade hubs on Tuesday. Enforcement teams also visited Lakshmi Chowk, Gawalmandi, Johar Town, Township, and Badami Bagh to ensure compliance.

However, some late-night business activity was still reported in isolated areas.

In line with anti-smog efforts, the Punjab government has also intensified industrial monitoring, sealing non-compliant factories and introducing drone surveillance to identify illegal emissions and crop burning. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has activated 41 modern air-quality monitoring stations and designated "smog-free zones."

According to the latest EPA report, Lahore recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 125 between 8:00am and 3:00pm on Wednesday, down from Tuesday's hazardous level of 390.

The most polluted points were recorded near Kahna Nau Hospital (164), LWMC (163), and UET (156), while cleaner readings were observed at Wagha Border (58) and Lathepur (68).

Across Punjab, Rahim Yar Khan recorded the worst air quality at 284, followed by Khanewal (253) and Multan (221).

Officials attributed the improvement to favourable weather conditions, improved wind speed and strict enforcement. Senior provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said, "Compared to last year, Lahore's AQI has shown notable progress. The current wind speed of 11 kilometres per hour has helped disperse pollutants, resulting in clearer skies."

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) confirmed that the weather pattern is supporting temporary improvement in air quality. According to the PMD's synoptic report, continental air is prevailing over most parts of the country.

According to the department, dry conditions are likely to persist on Thursday, with shallow fog or smog patches likely to develop over some plain areas of Punjab during early morning hours.