A westerly system brought rain and hail to upper Punjab, Islamabad and Kashmir, while cooler breezes cut Lahore’s average AQI to 172 from readings above 340 a day earlier. GT Road, Ravi Road and Model Town remain unhealthy, and Sunday is set to be dry.
LAHORE: Cooler westerly winds swept into Pakistan on Saturday, bringing rain to the hills and the upper parts of the country and taking the edge off Lahore’s smog. The city itself is expected to stay dry, but the breeze lowered temperatures and helped bring the average air quality index down sharply from the hazardous levels recorded earlier in the week.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the westerly wave entering the country from Saturday will bring rain to the hilly areas, while cool winds will continue to blow over Lahore. Forecasters expected Lahore’s temperature to range from a low of 17 degrees Celsius to a high of 28°C on Saturday, with the city at 22°C when the reading was taken. Humidity was 75%, and the wind was light at about 3 km per hour.
Rain and hail in the north
The system reached the upper parts of the country first. Heavy rain fell in Narowal, Shakargarh, Kartarpur and Noorkot, following showers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and light rain fell in Islamabad under overcast skies. The PMD forecast isolated rain, wind and thunderstorms in upper Punjab, Islamabad, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, with hail possible in a few places, and dry weather across the rest of the country.
Morning temperatures showed how quickly the season is turning. Quetta was at 5°C, Gilgit 6°C, Murree 8°C and Islamabad 14°C, against 21°C in Lahore and 27°C in Karachi.
The higher peaks have already had their first taste of winter. Heavy snow closed the Babusar Top road earlier this month, and on October 16 snowfall at Babusar and Khunjerab and in the upper reaches of Astore, Skardu, Hunza and Nagar blocked link roads, while a landslide on the Karakoram Highway killed two young men from Nagar. Travellers heading north should check road status before setting out, as further snow is possible on the highest passes.
Lahore’s air: better, not good
For Lahore, the more important change was in the air. On Friday morning the Punjab government’s monitoring network put the city’s AQI at 347, with Shahdara, Kahna Nau and Multan Road at the maximum reading of 500, and Lahore ranked the world’s most polluted major city on IQAir. Earlier in the week, Iqbal Town recorded an AQI of 342.
By Saturday, the average had fallen to 172, still rated unhealthy for sensitive groups, and Lahore ranked sixth among Pakistani cities for air pollution. Officials said winds were blowing from the east-southeast at about 6 km per hour, according to the Punjab environment department.
Several neighbourhoods remained well above the city average. GT Road recorded an AQI of 222, Ravi Road 211 and Model Town 204, all in the “unhealthy” band. Earlier on Saturday, the Punjab EPA dashboard showed Egerton Road at 186, Multan Road at 181, Safari Park at 172 and Kahna Nau at 171, while Gulberg III read 112 and the Wagah border area 83.
Elsewhere in Punjab, southern cities fared worse on Saturday morning, with Muzaffargarh, Okara, Multan, Sahiwal and Rajanpur all above 200, while rain-washed northern districts such as Rawalpindi, Gujrat and Sialkot recorded satisfactory or good air.
Punjab AQI numbers
On the scale used by the Punjab government’s dashboard, readings of 151 to 200 are unhealthy for sensitive groups (children, older people and those with heart or lung disease), and readings above 200 are unhealthy for everyone. Readings in the 300s and above, like Friday’s, are hazardous on international scales. Even at 172, doctors advise limiting outdoor exercise. People in the worst-hit areas along GT Road, Ravi Road, Shahdara and Multan Road should wear N95 masks outdoors, keep windows closed during peak hours and keep children and older relatives indoors.
The improvement may not last. Light winds of 3 km per hour and humidity of 75% are the conditions in which smog and fog form overnight. Officials have also blamed easterly winds for carrying polluted air into Punjab from across the border, and a return to calm conditions after the westerly passes could push readings up again.
Lahore – Sunday forecast
Lahore is expected to stay dry on Sunday, with clear to partly cloudy skies, cool mornings and pleasant afternoons, according to the PMD’s outlook. Daytime highs are likely to stay close to Saturday’s levels, with nights cooling into the high teens. Isolated rain is possible in Gilgit-Baltistan and nearby hills, but no rain is forecast for Lahore.
Spectators heading to Gaddafi Stadium for Sunday’s Pakistan-England one-day international, which begins at 1 p.m., can expect dry conditions. Air quality will be the bigger concern, especially for fans travelling from the city’s more polluted eastern and northern areas.
The smog response
The provincial government says it has stepped up its campaign. In the past 24 hours, environment teams inspected 221 industrial units and 354 brick kilns, sealed seven units and four kilns, demolished one of each, and imposed fines of Rs810,000. They also checked 131 commercial kitchens and barbecue outlets, installing suction hoods at 78. Drones, night patrols and “Hawk Eye” field squads are being used to catch violators, while smog guns and water sprinklers are deployed in the most polluted areas.
“Public participation is essential,” Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said, urging farmers and citizens to cooperate. The measures build on earlier steps: a ban on dry road sweeping and open burning, thermal drones to track pollution sources, fines on thousands of smoky vehicles, union council secretaries placed on smog watch, and advice to schools to encourage carpooling. Smog has even shaped politics, with proposals to schedule local elections around the smog and fog season.
For Pakistan, the turn of the season brings its own pressures. Colder weather will increase demand for gas just as the Middle East conflict has squeezed LNG supplies, and the smog season usually peaks in November before winter rains clear the air. Saturday showed how much a single breeze can help. Without a lasting cut in emissions from vehicles, industry, kilns and crop burning, Lahore will keep relying on the wind.
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