LAHORE: Lahore has again been ranked first on the list of the world’s most polluted cities, with the provincial capital’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 207 — a level classified as very unhealthy.
The reading was far from uniform across the city. The AQI was 261 in Gulberg II, 258 on Barki Road and 231 in Cantt. In DHA Phase 5 the level was 230, in Model Town 197 and in Chaman Park 193. Bedian Road also recorded 193, while Askari 10 – Lahore Airport stood at 173.
The Meteorological Department said Lahore’s weather would remain hot and dry. The city’s temperature was recorded at 31 degrees Celsius, with a high of 35 and a low of 25 degrees Celsius expected. Humidity was recorded at 65%, with winds blowing at three kilometres per hour.
That combination matters. Light winds and dry conditions allow particulate matter to settle over the city instead of dispersing, which is why readings tend to climb through the day in the weeks before the smog season sets in. The Met Office ruled out any chance of rain, saying conditions would stay dry.
Separate readings issued in the same period placed the city’s overall AQI at 179 and, in another bulletin, at 187 — the latter also described as an unhealthy level of air pollution, with the temperature then recorded at 34 degrees Celsius and no rain expected over the following 24 hours.
In the bulletin showing an overall index of 179, the AQI was 211 in Model Town, 197 in Paragon City and 190 in Iqbal Town. It was 171 in DHA Phase V, 165 in Chaman Park, 162 on Burki Road and 160 on Bedian Road.
The bulletins describe a city moving between the unhealthy and very unhealthy bands within a short span — a pattern tracked through the month, from an AQI of 147 in mid-September to cooler nights and rising smog in the week that followed.
An AQI above 150 is considered unhealthy for the general population, and readings above 200 are treated as very unhealthy, with advice to limit outdoor exertion. Children, older residents and people with asthma or heart conditions are the first to feel the effect, and schools and outdoor workers are the most exposed.
Punjab moved early this season. The Environment Protection Agency banned dry road sweeping and open burning ahead of the smog period, thermal drones were deployed to trace emission sources, and enforcement teams have fined thousands of smoky vehicles and demolished a polluting kiln. Safe City cameras have been folded into the effort, flagging 1,327 violations in three days, while the EPA has pointed to measurable improvement on some days.
Research complicates any easy diagnosis. A recent study found that fossil fuels drive more than twice the black carbon produced by biomass burning in Lahore, pointing the finger at transport and industry as much as at seasonal stubble fires.
On high-index days, residents are advised to keep windows closed during peak hours, limit outdoor exercise, use a well-fitted mask outdoors and avoid unnecessary idling in traffic. Parents of children with respiratory conditions should keep medication accessible, and employers of outdoor staff should consider adjusting shift timings.
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