Punjab extends smog alert

Air quality across Punjab deteriorated sharply on Saturday, with Lahore once again ranking as the world's most polluted city as stagnant winter conditions trapped heavy particulate matter over the province.

Data from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) placed Lahore's average Air Quality Index at 288, while the province-wide AQI averaged 211.

Narowal, Khanewal, Hafizabad and Kasur also recorded critically high air pollution levels, prompting authorities to extend a province-level alert for a third consecutive day.

Officials attributed the surge to a mix of local emissions and transboundary pollution driven by shifting northwesterly winds. A shallow westerly wave now moving across the upper parts of the country, combined with prevailing continental air, slowed dispersion of pollutants — a pattern the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warns is likely to persist through the weekend.

Meanwhile, field teams intensified inspections of industrial zones, brick kilns and transport corridors.

Drone surveillance is being used to detect crop-burning hotspots, while mapping tools are tracking the inflow of pollution from border regions and major industrial belts. Senior officials said the government's rapid-response system is operating at full capacity, with enforcement squads, water bowsers and air-quality monitoring teams deployed across Lahore.

Public advisories urge residents, especially children, the elderly and people with asthma or chronic respiratory illness, to reduce outdoor exposure, wear masks and seek timely medical care in case of breathing difficulties.

The PMD forecast issued Saturday evening suggested little immediate improvement in visibility or air dispersion over Punjab's plains.

The department forecast partly cloudy and cold conditions over most of the country, with very cold weather in hilly regions. Smog, alongside patches of fog, is likely to persist over central and northern Punjab.

The PMD warned of persistent smog and fog across the plains of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa during night and early-morning hours, limiting visibility and further constraining air quality.

Health experts advised families to use air purifiers where possible, keep windows closed during high-pollution hours and avoid early-morning outdoor activity, when smog concentrations are typically at their peak.