LAHORE: The air quality in Lahore has reached a dangerous level again and has been ranked the worst air quality affected city in the world.
According to the Swiss group IQAir’s real-time data, Lahore’s air quality index (AQI) score was 349 on Thursday morning categorising it as ‘hazardous’.
This air quality level poses serious health risks including respiratory infections, heart diseases, eye irritation, and skin infections among its residents.
The Lahore air pollution levels the concentration of PM2.5 pollutants—fine particulate matter that poses significant health risks—were recorded at 249.5 micrograms per cubic meter in Lahore which is over 49.9 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) annual air quality guideline value.
Meanwhile, India’s national capital Delhi’s pollution levels recorded 276, making it the second worst city in the world.
Kolkata, another Indian city, has an AQI 262, placing it in a very unhealthy category and the third worst city in the world.
World’s most polluted cities
Understanding AQI
An AQI below 50 is considered good ‘moderate’ between ’51 and 100′, ‘unhealthy for sensitive group’ at ‘101 and 150’, ‘unhealthy’ at ‘151-200’, very unhealthy at 201-300, 301 and above is ‘hazardous’.
According to this year’s Life Quality Index Institute report, compiled by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute, the people of Lahore could have had their lives shortened by 7.5 years due to the poor air they breathe.
To control the smog crisis, the Punjab government has this month closed public places including parks, zoos, playgrounds, joy/play lands, historical places, monuments, and museums in smog-hit districts including Lahore.
Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has described smog as a serious threat and said that it is likely to cause 250,000 premature deaths.
