LAHORE
\nLahore was ranked the world\u2019s most polluted major city on Wednesday morning as smog thickened over the city with the onset of colder weather. In the past few years, air pollution has become one of the most pressing public health and environmental crises facing Pakistan. Various cities of the country, most notably Lahore, deal with smog, especially in the winter months. The phenomenon is attributed mainly to industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, stubble burning and air movement.
\nAccording to the live air quality ranking published by Swiss air quality monitoring platform IQAir, Lahore recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 296 at 10am on October 28, placing it at the top of the list of the world\u2019s major cities. Figure shows the top ranked polluted cities according to IQAir on Wednesday morning. \u2014 Screengrab via IQAir
\nCairo ranked second with an AQI of 289, followed by Delhi at 272. Tashkent stood fourth with an AQI of 186, while Karachi ranked fifth at 173, according to the ranking. The readings placed Lahore and Cairo in the \u2018very unhealthy\u2019 category under the US AQI scale, while Delhi\u2019s air quality was also in the same category.
\nAn AQI reading of 296 indicates a high level of air pollution that can pose health risks, particularly for children, older people and those with respiratory or heart conditions.
\nThe worsening air quality coincided with colder conditions in Lahore during the early morning, when smog reduced visibility and added to concerns over the city\u2019s deteriorating air quality.
\nResidents were advised to limit prolonged outdoor exertion when pollution levels were high, particularly those with asthma and other respiratory conditions.
\nEnvironment Protection Agency (EPA) spokesperson Sajid Bashir told Dawn that the authorities were monitoring industries and had installed devices to record pollution levels.
\nHe said changing weather conditions were contributing to smog, adding that measures were being taken to prevent stubble burning. Easterly winds had been consistently pushing polluted air from India\u2019s border regions into Lahore, worsening the smog situation across central Punjab, he said.
\nThe government was procuring and installing 30 more modern fog cannons mounted on electric trucks to combat severe smog and air pollution, Bashir said. Anti-smog guns were being deployed on a priority basis in areas where higher pollution readings were recorded, particularly at locations with elevated levels of PM10 (particulate matter), he added.
\nHe said the machinery was being used to suppress dust on roads and in surrounding areas to limit its spread. \u201cDevelopment work in Lahore and other cities of the province was also contributing to pollution,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE Lahore was ranked the world\u2019s most polluted major city on Wednesday morning as smog thickened over the city with the onset of colder weather. In the past few years, air pollution has become one of the most pressing public health and environmental crises facing Pakistan. Various cities of the country, most notably Lahore, deal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-574820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-national"],"yoast_head":"\n