By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: For the third straight day, Lahore has held the grim distinction of being the world’s most polluted city, with a blanket of smog pushing air quality to hazardous levels and prompting urgent health advisories from officials.
The city’s overall Air Quality Index soared to 412 on Sunday, spurring a province-wide effort to curb emissions from farms, factories and vehicles. The pollution was most severe in the Lower Mall neighborhood, where the index reached 680, followed by Iqbal Town at 577, Syed Maratib Ali Road at 543, Shadman at 507, the Punjab University area at 506 and Shalimar at 495, according to monitoring data.
Concentrations of PM2.5, the fine particulate matter that poses the greatest health risks, were multiple times above global safety thresholds, heightening the dangers of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, particularly for children and the elderly. Environmental experts advised residents to limit outdoor activities, especially in the mornings and evenings, and to wear masks when venturing outside.
The Punjab Disaster Management Authority issued a high alert for eastern districts including Lahore, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Nankana Sahib, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Khanpur. “The intensity of smog is expected to increase from November to mid-December,” warned Irfan Ali Kathia, the director general of the authority, citing forecasts from the Meteorological Department. He instructed all commissioners and deputy commissioners to enforce government measures aimed at combating the smog.
In response, authorities rolled out a stringent strategy targeting pollution at its roots. A blanket ban was imposed on burning crop residues, solid waste, tires, plastic and rubber. Kathia said that violations, including the burning of crop stubble and garbage, would result in cases being registered against offenders. The Punjab Safe Cities Authority escalated its operations, deploying drone cameras to surveil industrial zones, farmland and urban areas.
In the past 24 hours, the initiative detected more than 460 smog-related violations, leading to over 200 electronic challans issued to vehicles emitting excessive smoke. Real-time data from these operations was shared with relevant departments for swift enforcement.
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