Lahore has once again ranked as the most polluted city in the world, according to the latest figures shared by IQAir.
The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) hit 395, placing it in the “hazardous” range, the highest and most dangerous level on the pollution scale.
Following Lahore, Kolkata in India recorded an AQI of 247, while Delhi stood at 192, taking the second and third spots respectively. Cairo in Egypt and Kampala in Uganda rounded off the list of the top five most polluted cities across the globe.
Health experts caution that the extremely poor air quality in Lahore poses major health threats, especially to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. People are being urged to remain indoors as much as possible, limit outdoor activity, and use high-quality masks when going outside.
Environmental specialists link the city’s persistent smog to multiple causes: heavy vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, crop residue burning, and stagnant weather conditions that trap pollutants in the air.
Despite repeated government measures, such as the use of anti-smog guns and restrictions on crop burning, pollution levels continue to surge during the winter months.