LAHORE: Poor air quality has once again placed Lahore at the top of the world’s most polluted cities list, with the Air Quality Index touching 448 today, according to the report.
Other cities across Punjab are also facing extremely unhealthy conditions. Particulate matter levels were recorded at 548 in Kasur, 541 in Faisalabad, 429 in Gujranwala, and 367 in Sheikhupura.
Doctors have urged residents to limit outdoor movement and wear masks as dense smog continues to blanket large parts of the province.
Punjab has struggled with air pollution during winter in previous years as well. With falling temperatures, smog returned, prompting authorities to take emergency steps to control the situation. Pollution levels reached dangerously high levels, leading to serious health concerns for the public.
For several days, Lahore remained covered in thick smog, a combination of fog and pollutants mainly caused by low-quality diesel emissions, smoke from seasonal crop burning, and colder weather trapping polluted air.
At one point, Lahore’s pollution levels rose to more than 80 times the limit considered safe by the World Health Organization.
In response, the government ordered school closures and imposed restrictions on the operating hours of restaurants, markets, and other businesses to protect people from the harmful effects of toxic air.