Lahore Air Quality Index (AQI): Toxic smog has shrouded major districts in Pakistan's Punjab province, with the air quality index (AQI) in Lahore reaching record levels, surpassing 1000 in some areas. For the past 48 hours, the city has been ranked as the world’s most polluted. According to Swiss group IQAir, which collects data from 14 regional monitoring stations, Lahore's air quality index soared to 1165 on Wednesday—over 120 times higher than the safe limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO), news agency Reuters reported. The smog, which has reduced visibility, led to disruption of commute, with the government banning rickshaws, halting certain construction activities, and advising people to stay indoors. A "smog war room" has been set up to monitor the situation and oversee measures to tackle the pollution. Pollution levels remained dangerously high, with an AQI of 990 recorded at 11:30 pm on Thursday. Specific locations reported alarming levels: the CERP Office had an AQI of 1499, the US Consulate 1248, Askari-10 1206, Syed Maratib Ali Road 844, Pakistan Engineering Services 1171, and Ghazi Road Interchange 1063, Pakistan daily Dawn reported. The government has also shut down all public and private schools and colleges in 18 districts of Punjab from November 7 to 17, to prevent students and staff from exposure to toxic air. Hospitals in Lahore are witnessing a sharp rise in patients with respiratory issues, eye irritation, and other pollution-related health problems, Dawn reported. Efforts on to curb air pollution in Pakistan For years, Lahore has regularly featured on the list of the world’s most polluted cities. To address the issue, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is promoting modern agricultural practices in the province, according to Dawn. As part of this initiative, 1,000 super seeder machines were distributed to farmers in districts such as Faisalabad, Okara, and Sialkot. The machines will help prepare land without burning crop residues, aiming to reduce agricultural emissions, a major contributor to smog. Aurangzeb also announced that the postponement of the provincial sports gala due to severe smog, with plans to reschedule it once air quality improves. Additionally, law enforcement agencies have filed 15 FIRs for illegal crop burning and imposed fines exceeding Rs 400,000. More than 3,850 volunteer committees are monitoring the situation, educating the public, distributing informational materials, and coordinating night surveillance of sand trolleys with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and traffic squads.
