A view of smog in the Punjab province. PHOTO: AFP
LAHORE:
Smog continued to blanket large parts of Punjab on Monday, pushing air quality in several cities to unhealthy and dangerous 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 has emerged as the most polluted district in the province, with an average AQI of 375 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., falling into the most unsanitary category.
City-level readings showed hotspots of extreme pollution in Lahore. AQI levels reached 565 at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), followed by 427 at EPA headquarters and 420 near City Hall. Other heavily affected areas include the Lahore Waste Management Company area, Safari Park, Punjab University and several hospital localities, highlighting the widespread nature of the smog episode.
The deteriorating air quality has placed Lahore as the second most polluted major city in the world, with an AQI of 366, according to live international air quality rankings. Delhi tops the list with an AQI of 555, while Dhaka, Kolkata and Bishkek follow Lahore, highlighting a broader regional pollution pattern across South and Central Asia.
Other towns in Punjab also recorded unhealthy air. Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Narowal and Gujranwala showed AQI readings well above 200, while Gujrat and Khanewal remained unsanitary for sensitive groups. Even cities at the lower end of the provincial rankings, including Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Multan, have failed to return to safe air quality levels. Environmental experts attribute the persistent smog to a combination of vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, burning of crop residues and unfavorable weather conditions.
Dense fog, reported in large parts of Punjab and upper Sindh, has trapped pollutants near ground level, worsening respiratory conditions.
Separately, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said that a westerly weather system was affecting the north of the country. Intermittent rain and snowfall were forecast in Gilgit-Baltistan, upper Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir, while cold and dry conditions were expected to prevail in most of the plains, offering little immediate relief from smog.
Meteorologists warned that moderate to dense fog was likely to persist over the Punjab plains for the next two days, potentially prolonging the hazardous air quality.
