Lahore back on list of most polluted cities

Many Punjab cities record hazardous air quality

LAHORE:

Smog continued to blanket large parts of Punjab on Monday, pushing air quality in several cities to unhealthy and hazardous levels and placing Lahore among the world's most polluted major cities, according to official and real-time monitoring data.

The provincial Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 198 across Punjab during the day, a level classified as unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Lahore emerged as the most polluted district in the province, with an average AQI of 375 between 8:00am and 3:00pm, falling into the very unhealthy category.

City-level readings showed extreme pollution hotspots across Lahore. AQI levels reached as high as 565 at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), followed by 427 at the EPA headquarters and 420 near Town Hall. Other heavily affected areas included the Lahore Waste Management Company zone, Safari Park, Punjab University, and several hospital localities, underscoring the widespread nature of the smog episode.

The deteriorating air quality placed Lahore second on the global list of most polluted major cities, with an AQI of 366, according to international live air quality rankings. Delhi topped the list with an AQI of 555, while Dhaka, Kolkata and Bishkek followed Lahore, highlighting a broader regional pollution pattern across South and Central Asia.

Other cities in Punjab also recorded unhealthy air. Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Narowal and Gujranwala posted AQI readings well above 200, while Gujrat and Khanewal remained unhealthy for sensitive groups Even cities at the lower end of the provincial ranking, including Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Multan, failed to return to safe air quality levels. Environmental experts attribute the persistent smog to a combination of vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, crop residue burning and unfavourable weather conditions.

Dense fog, reported across large parts of Punjab and upper Sindh, trapped pollutants near ground level, worsening breathing conditions.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said a westerly weather system was affecting northern parts of the country. Intermittent rain and snowfall were forecast for Gilgit-Baltistan, upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir, while cold and dry conditions were expected to prevail across most plains, offering little immediate relief from smog.

Meteorologists warned that moderate to dense fog would likely continue over Punjab's plains over the next two days, potentially prolonging hazardous air quality.