Lahore: According to international monitoring platform ‘IQ Air’, Lahore and Karachi were among the world’s five most polluted cities in terms of air quality on Tuesday.
In the past few years, air pollution has become a very serious public health and environmental crisis for Pakistan. Various cities in the country, especially Lahore, face the problem of smog in winter. The major reasons for this include industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust, burning of crop residues, and wind movement.
Lahore, which was the world’s third most polluted city yesterday, has moved up to second place today, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 234, which falls in the ‘very healthy’ category, only surpassed by New Delhi, where the AQI is recorded as ‘very hazardous’ at 489.
Karachi’s AQI was 182, which falls in the ‘unhealthy’ category, and was marginally lower than the Kuwaiti capital’s 183. India’s Mumbai came in fifth, with an AQI of 169.
According to IQ Air, AQI is a measure of the amount of various polluting particles and gases present in the air, such as PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃).
An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered ‘unhealthy’, 201 to 300 is considered ‘very unhealthy’ and above 301 is considered ‘extremely hazardous’.
Lahore and Karachi recorded their highest AQIs this month.
In Lahore, PM 2.5 levels were measured at 158.8 micrograms per cubic meter, which is 31.8 times higher than the standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
In Karachi, PM 2.5 levels were recorded at 100 micrograms per cubic meter, which is 20 times higher than the WHO’s annual guidelines.
IQ Air has advised citizens of Lahore and Karachi to avoid exercising outdoors, use air purifiers, prefer wearing masks and keep windows closed to prevent polluted air from entering.
According to the Punjab Meteorological Department, smog is likely to increase further in Lahore and other parts of Punjab due to the slow-moving winds and post-Diwali spending, which are bringing in pollutants from India.
As part of the anti-smog campaign, the Punjab government started spraying water from Sunday night and activated anti-smog guns in the most affected areas.
In Lahore, these measures were taken in various areas including Karim Block, Allama Iqbal Town, Multan Road, Ravi Bridge, Shahdara Flyover, GT Road, Thokar Niaz Baig, and Upper Mall.
In addition, Lahore Police said that 83 people were arrested and 77 cases were registered during its anti-smog campaign.
Air pollution is very dangerous for human health, especially in winter when smog increases, leading to a significant increase in respiratory and lung diseases.
According to Dr. Dapeng Lu, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Pakistan, 256,000 people die every year in Pakistan due to air pollution.
